Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, And The Richest, Most Destructive Industry On Earth

In 2010, the words “earthquake swarm” entered the lexicon in Oklahoma. That same year, a trove of Michael Jackson memorabilia—including his iconic crystal-encrusted white glove—was sold at auction for over $1 million. In 2014, Ukrainian revolutionaries raided the palace of their ousted president and found a zoo of peacocks, gilded toilets, and a floating restaurant modeled after a Spanish galleon. There is a thread connecting these events, and Rachel Maddow follows it to its source: the lucrative and corrupting oil and gas industry.

With her trademark black humor, Maddow takes us around the globe, revealing the greed and incompetence of Big Oil and Gas, and explaining how Russia’s oil reserves have paradoxically stunted its growth. She covers how Russia spreads its influence into its rivals and the West, and features industry giants like ExxonMobil and Rex Tillerson. The industry has weakened democracies, polluted environments, and propped up authoritarian regimes.

Blowout is a call to stop subsidizing these businesses, to fight for transparency, and to check the industry’s influence. The stakes are high — democracy either wins or disappears.