It's the Crude, Dude: Greed, Gas, War, and the American Way

Proudly touted on the cover as ""Canada's Michael Moore,"" Toronto Star columnist McQuaig displays strengths and weaknesses similar to the controversial filmmaker in this expose of the U.S. government's collusion with Big Oil. Detailing oil-dependency-promoting legislation, McQuaig is by equal measures convincing and condescending, taking well-researched arguments and dulling their impact with unnecessary punchlines: as part of the White House's 2003 tax-cut package, an SUV up to $100,000 can be written off ""on the grounds that it was a work-related vehicle ... useful for toting around-who knows?-heavy equipment, dental tools, golf clubs or perhaps just bags of money."" Potshots aside, there's enough solid information here to merit a read, even if McQuaig's target audience may find some of it familiar. Though it lacks the restraint and nuance of Al Gore's similarly-themed An Inconvenient Truth, this book's strengths lie in its historical consideration, tracing the current moment back to the nineteenth-century origins of the oil industry. Though it might shout too loudly in places, McQuaig's book makes plenty of sound points.