Nominated for the Guardian first book award, A Swamp Full of Dollars tells the
murky and revealing story of the relationship between Africa’s most populous nation and
oil that pumps through western cities. Nigeria is a country where petroleum and polio
have both boomed, where small villages challenge giant oil companies, and scooter drivers
run their own mini-state. The crude-rich Niger Delta region at the heart of it all is a
troublespot as hot as the local pepper soup. Through a host of characters, from the Area
Boy gangsters of Lagos to the Graham Greene-esque multinational representatives in Port
Harcourt, Peel tells the story of this extraordinary country and how it has been shaped
by the oil that pumps through western cities. Weaving reportage, oral history and
investigative journalism, Peel illustrates the dark side of the global oil economy, and
the unseen consequences of reckless resource extraction.
Nominated for the Guardian first book award, A Swamp Full of Dollars tells the murky and revealing story of the relationship between Africa’s most populous nation and oil that pumps through western cities. Nigeria is a country where petroleum and polio have both boomed, where small villages challenge giant oil companies, and scooter drivers run their own mini-state. The crude-rich Niger Delta region at the heart of it all is a troublespot as hot as the local pepper soup. Through a host of characters, from the Area Boy gangsters of Lagos to the Graham Greene-esque multinational representatives in Port Harcourt, Peel tells the story of this extraordinary country and how it has been shaped by the oil that pumps through western cities. Weaving reportage, oral history and investigative journalism, Peel illustrates the dark side of the global oil economy, and the unseen consequences of reckless resource extraction.
