'Internal Combustion: Corporations and Governments Addicted the World To Oil and Derailed the Alternatives.' By Edwin Black. St Martin's Press. 396 pages. $27.95

This is the book I have been waiting to read. Black writes that early last century America was poised to create an independent energy future with electric battery powered cars. Great names such as Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, were part of this bright new future. Already back then scientists were keenly aware of the dangers of pollution and the need for clean alternatives.
Black points to collusion and corporate greed by energy cartels who created a system of forced scarcity and tightly controlled resources. Efforts to break away from the infernal combustion engine were thwarted at every turn by companies such as General Motors.

Black covers a lot of ground in what critics say is a well-researched book that avoids falling into the conspiracy theories or alarmist prose that this subject can elicit. Though he does have this to say about GM:
"General Motors is probably the most unpatriotic and destructive automotive company in the history of this country. They've done more to adversely affect our transportation than any other company. They continue to hurt this country....."

Click here for a review by Miami Herald columnist Richard Pachter.
Click here for an interview with the author.