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Coal by Barbara Freese

Coal

A Human History

by Barbara Freese
  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (2):
  • First Published:
  • Jan 1, 2003, 320 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Feb 2004, 320 pages
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There are currently 2 reader reviews for Coal
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daniel baisley sr

not enough reviews
I was sorry to see that there were so few reviews. I started reading COAL and could not stop. The only thing I am going to say is that I wish everyone concerned with our planet would read this book. Ms Freese combined history and the human story in such a way that the story became a powerful integration of facts and emotions displayed against the background of historical events that would or could be dry and unappealing.We are all guardians of this planet and as such should at least have the facts (enough) to make informed decisions.
JuJu2007

While this book may have been incredibly factual in content, it elongated many points and included unrelated information. It's information was unorganized and did not follow any sort of timeline which made it difficult to put important events in any sort of meaningful sequence. It also made taking notes on the book a difficult task. This book may have been found interesting to someone with a definitive interest in coal, the substance, how it is made and all of it's consequences, but otherwise I do not recommend this book.

However, the book did have some appealing qualities. The author is an environmentalist and made a strong arguement against the health concerns around coal making the book appealing to a wider audience. The grammar and sentence structure was beautiful and enjoyable.
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