The Eskimo and the Oil Man

I get sent a fair number of books for possible review, and since I can't always place reviews for them all (the market is sadly moribund, and the payment even worse) I'm going to start noting them here, in the hope some readers will find them attractive.

The first is The Eskimo and The Oil Man: The Battle at the Top of the World for America's Future by Bob Reiss.



As an entree to exploring the issues of the melting Arctic, Reiss examines the lives of two of the men deeply involved in that region's troubles and opportunities: Edward Itta, the Eskimo mayor of the North Slope of Alaska, and Pete Slaiby, an executive from Shell. The narrative "depicts the struggle to reach a drilling decision that will benefit Shell while protecting the native Iñupiat community's way of life."

It strikes me as very well written, smoothly working the particulars in the story. I plan to read this even if I don't get the opportunity to review it somewhere.