The End of Country

May 1, 2011

Part memoir, part investigative report about what happened when the natural-gas industry arrived in rural northeastern Pennsylvania in 2007.

In his debut, freelance writer McGraw constructs the narrative around land owned by his widowed mother, his sister and himself, as well as by neighbors atop the Marcellus Shale, a geological formation stretching for hundreds of miles in all directions. Natural-gas reserves embedded in deep rock could be extracted with a technology generally known as fracking. But the technology spoils the land, at least temporarily, disturbs the peace and alters daily life forever. On the other hand, the natural-gas exploration companies were willing to pay lots of money for drilling rights. Listening to competing offers, McGraw's bewildered mother learned she might receive as much as $250,000 up front, with the possibility of millions in royalties much later, depending on the success of the drilling. The author's mother involved him and his banker sister in the difficult decision making, turning portions of the book into a compelling, sometimes humorous family chronicle. McGraw also conducted interviews with residents inclined to accept the money, residents inclined to reject the money, natural-gas executives, environmental regulators within government and elected representatives. The author mines all of the story's dimensions equally well—environmental, moral and family. After the McGraw family decided to accept money from one of the exploration companies, the family members remained relatively cohesive. Other families, however, began to fray because of the dilemmas.

An unusual—and successful—marriage of memoir and investigative journalism.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from May 15, 2011
In 2006, in a hardscrabble part of Pennsylvania that had long lost its allure as a farming and industrial area, geologists began investigating the Marcellus Shale. It turned out to be the richest deposit of natural gas ever discovered anywhere. When his widowed mother was approached about permitting natural-gas exploration on their farm, journalist McGraw had to weigh their need for money against the future prospects of the farmland. Chronicling the impact of the find on his mother and her neighbors, McGraws research led to this impressively detailed, highly engaging look at issues of energy policy, economics, and sociology that arose when a bucolic town was suddenly faced with the traveling circus of energy exploration. McGraw presents a rich history of the economics and geopolitics of energy as well as a fascinating cast of characters, including Victoria, the newcomer environmentalist and former teacher who signed on early and later had regrets; Ken, a cranky hermit skeptical of all parties who later joined ranks with his neighbors to stand up to the oil companies; and Pennsylvania native son Marshall, the sincere young man who signed the locals to leases but worried about the ultimate impact on the community as poor people suddenly found themselves rich. A completely engaging look at how energy policy affected a quiet, rural town.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)