After decades of civil war and instability, the African country of Angola is experiencing a spectacular economic boom thanks to its most valuable natural resource: oil. But oil extraction--both on- and offshore--is a toxic remedy for the country's economic ills, with devastating effects on both the environment and traditional livelihoods. Focusing on the everyday realities of people living in the extraction zones, Kristin Reed explores the exclusion, degradation, and violence that are the fruits of petrocapitalism in Angola.

Kristin Reed holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a program consultant to humanitarian and environmental nonprofit organizations.