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When Daniel Yergin first penned the monumental and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power" in early 1991, could he have seen the global market's dependence on oil gradually “slipping" or is that a fallacy as well? This expansive work chronicles the socioeconomic, political and strategic role oil has played throughout modern society. It is a topic the author infuses with facts, figures and statistics dealing with the commodities’ influence on the 20th century as a whole, good or bad. |
What makes "The Prize" so undeniably relevant, keeping in mind the piece was written over 20 years ago, is its ability to captivate its audience with just the correct hybrid of drama and colorful characters throughout oil's rich history. Combine this with enough statistics and straight talk to make it worthy of scholarly review and you have a work that stands the test of time, even in a constantly evolving and environmentally conscious atmosphere.
It's clear that the ten years Yergin and his associates took to toil over the piece was not in vain. As the world's dependence on oil seems to escalate rather than diminish, it might be time to dust off your copy and give it a second glance.
Ultimately what keeps "The Prize" alive in the casual reader's and scholar's consciousness is its ability to arouse feelings of dissent, love, hatred or reverence, depending on the source. Some feel the work is unmatched, enlightened and the definitive last word on the subject of oil's unmatched influence on the global landscape, both in our private, professional and political lives.
Others see it as quasi-propaganda, although Yergin is in no way associated with the oil industry. Quite simply, love it or hate it, "The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power" isn't disappearing any time soon. As a matter of fact, it might even be more relevant now more than ever, as the world is attempting to shift its efforts towards a more eco-conscious method to control the powers that be.
