Thompson, Tamara. Fracking.

Thompson, Tamara.  Fracking.  Cengage (Gale/Blackbirch/Greenhaven)  2013  106p  $25.45  ISBN 978-0-7377-6510-6  series: At Issue #12  ms/hs  Nonfiction  VG-BNs     

This book provides a good introduction to the issue of fracking, or hydraulic fracturing of natural gas, with points of view in favor of and opposed to the practice.  Each piece is short, with an initial, succinct summary.  Some of the points of view expressed were written by officials of ExxonMobil, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Food and Water Watch, and individuals from a variety of legal, literary and energy organizations.  The juxtaposition of the articles, pro and con, will give the student a lot to think about and will arm him/her with many of the arguments supporting each side of the debate.  One argument on the anti-fracking side that is missing, however, is the one about how many years of fuel fracking will actually be able to provide … there is a large body of evidence that, as the easier-to-obtain gas is depleted, it will no longer be cost-effective to continue fracking.  Including that argument in the anti-fracking articles would have presented a more balanced and accurate portrayal of the anti-fracking side.

The book is well organized, and there is a list of organizations to contact.  There is a bibliography, which is a good thing, but, as in other books in this series, the bibliography does not include all of the references that it should … namely, all the original pieces from which the articles were excerpted.  The index is good.

Summary: This book provides a good introduction to the issue of fracking, or hydraulic fracturing of natural gas, with points of view in favor of and opposed to the practice.  Each piece is short, with an initial, succinct summary.
     

Shale gas industry                                                --Carol Kennedy