Bethany McLean - "Saudi America" - Dennis Chookaszian

Thursday, September 27, 2018 - 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Event Presenter/Author: 
Bethany McLean

Bethany McLean discusses Saudi America: The Truth About Fracking and How It's Changing the World. A Q&A and signing will follow the discussion.

At the Co-op
 
RSVP HERE (Please note that your RSVP is requested but not required.)
 
About the book: The technology of fracking in shale rock––particularly in the Permian Basin in Texas––has transformed America into the world's top producer of both oil and natural gas. The U.S. is expected to be "energy independent" and a "net exporter" in less than a decade, a move that will upend global politics, destabilize Saudi Arabia, crush Russia's chokehold over Europe, and finally bolster American power again.
 
Or will it?
 
Investigative journalist Bethany McLean digs deep into the cycles of boom and bust that have plagued the American oil industry for the past decade, from the financial wizardry and mysterious death of fracking pioneer Aubrey McClendon, to the investors who are questioning the very economics of shale itself. McLean finds that fracking is a business built on attracting ever-more gigantic amounts of capital investment, while promises of huge returns have yet to bear out. Saudi America tells a remarkable story that will persuade you to think about the power of oil in a new way.
 
About the author: Bethany McLean is the co-author of the bestseller The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron with Peter Elkind. Her second book, which she co-authored with Joe Nocera, is All the Devils are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis. Her most recent book is Shaky Ground: The Strange Saga of the U.S. Mortgage Giants. She is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and lives in Chicago.
 
About the interlocutor: Dennis Chookaszian is the former chairman and CEO of CNA Insurance Companies, which was a $17 Billion multi line insurer with 20,000 employees.
Event Location: 
The Seminary Co-Op Bookstore
5751 S. Woodlawn Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637
See map: Google Maps