New York Times–Bestselling Author: "Should be ready by anyone who owns a microwave, or an iPod, or a table lamp, which is to say everyone." —Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Sixth Extinction

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

Coal is still a significant source of power in the United States—and coal mining is still a deadly and environmentally destructive industry. Much of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year comes from coal-fired power plants, and in recent decades air pollution from coal plants has killed more than half a million Americans. In this eye-opening call to action, Jeff Goodell explains the costs and consequences of America's addiction to coal and discusses how we can kick the habit.

"[A] compelling indictment . . . powerful." — The New York Times Book Review

"Goodell's description of the mining-related deaths, the widespread health consequences of burning coal and the impact on our planet's increasingly fragile ecosystem make for compelling reading, but . . . are not what lift this book out of the ordinary. That distinction belongs to Goodell's fieldwork, which takes him to Atlanta, West Virginia, Wyoming, China and beyond." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Goodell does a first-rate job of balancing environmental concerns with interviews from the human faces associated with 'Big Coal'." — Library Journal