The way that Ezra Levant presents himself and the way he speaks like he knows everything about the topic made it seem like this book was going to be mind blowing...sadly I was very disappointed. I guess I expected to read a book that was thoroughly researched, objective and ready to present all of the arguments for and against. Instead Levant pulls information from the media without verifying it, he negatively presents information he thinks isn't important and he positively presents information he likes. It's sort of like watching a Michael Moore documentary. You just get the impression no one bothered to get both sides of the argument. I'm disappointed. This book could have been a lot shorter and a lot better researched. It's sad that books like this are being sold as if they contain important information, it's an opinion piece. FYI, I'm not a Greenpeace activist, I think we need the oil sands, I just think this book was incredibly disappointing.

The title of Levant’s book is suspiciously and mistakenly titled. This is a story of anger and entitlement, not one that studies or substantially convinces one of the ethical pursuit of oil. I’m familiar with the political preference and punditry of Ezra Levant, and so I understand that I’m not going to get journalistic neutrality, and therefore was prepared for the right wing sentiment that defines his argument. Levant has a very long list of anger targets in this book, (beyond what you would expect: Greenpeace, WWF, and the environmentalist lobby, Al Gore) including the likes of every other oil-producing country/jurisdiction; Physicians, selective retail chains, Google, Ethical Fund Managers, “large liberal churches” (btw, that’s you United, Anglicans, Catholics, Mennonites and Quakers), Arnold Schwarzenegger, downtown Toronto, the CBC, China and many others. For all its shortcomings, in my opinion, this is an intelligent global awareness and current events book on the elements that surround the discussion of the world’s dependence on a very precious and delicate commodity. It is a book that wants you to take [his] side at the end of every chapter. It pokes into political structures, unreported half-truths, and Levant’s portrayal of unfair standards that the Oil Sands are being held to. Levant uses an easy and factual position of the political and human life treatments superiority of Canada versus that of any other major oil producing country. While that makes for a very one-sided debate, it doesn’t settle the broader debate on whether the practice in the Oil Sands is, in and of itself, ethical. If you are into conspiracy theories and hold distrust for any or all of the angry targets (mentioned earlier), then you will appreciate Levant’s argumentative stance. If you pay attention to the large number of footnotes and sources, you’ll find that it is researched with a variety of journalistic, blogosphere, company, lobbyist sources, yet there are many times where statistics and forecasts (some of the ones that really matter) are made, but not documented. The mad-at-the-world stance that Levant takes frustrated me with the missed opportunity he has in this book. If you are a believer that what makes Canada great is that it is a people that hold the highest standards for itself, in a modest and ethical way (a key tenant of Levant’s argument); then you would expect this book to be about some aspect of humility, and how the challenges environmental in nature can and will be overcome – and indications of where we have leadership and have brought positive and proactive change to this industry and this vast geographical area that is under the microscope. This is not a story about an ethical pursuit of oil. This is not the book that will give everyone who has cringed about the pictures of environmental impact that sigh of relief. It is not the book that will put you at ease for how Canada is being stewards of the very precious and rich opportunity we have, to demonstrate leadership. This is an argument that expects that environmental concerned people and organizations should give Canada a ‘hall pass’ because they are the human rights and political leaders in the sample country comparison. The conversation of ethics in this book exists only because the author is steadfast in comparing Canada to countries that we would never on any other positive human rights or economic metric be closely compared with. While I appreciated Levant’s reminder and specifics of the practices of these countries, I’d rather the comparative barometer to be that of how we’re learning from other environmental PR disasters and how we’re setting the pace, in this country for innovation and change, and also for reclamation of the land that is being put to work. If you’re looking for ethical environmental forethought and action, and a comfort that new standards are being executed, you won’t find it in this book – with the exception that the stamp on the outside of the back jacket of the book that says ‘this book was produced using ancient-forest friendly products’. The ugly pictures of Canada’s ethical oil pursuits still live on after reading this book from Ezra Levant. I’m certainly now more cognizant of why it’s important for Canada to be in this industry and be dominant; but we need to prove that we’re adhering to a higher benchmark than the ones outlined by the author in the book of such a title. To seriously remove global disenfranchising of Canadian oil and practices, we need to hold ourselves to a much more innovative and thoughtful standard (truly recognized as unique by western democracies). We need to win on every comparative scale: GHG emission targets, wildlife sensitivity, ground water purity, health and safety, financial responsibility, human rights and restoring and respecting the pristine beauty of the land and gifts entrusted to us. Then and only then can we claim to be operating with an ethical case.

This review is part of the Green Books campaign.Today 200 bloggers take a stand to support books printed in an eco-friendly manner by simultaneously publishing reviews of 200 books printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper. By turning a spotlight on books printed using eco- friendly paper, we hope to raise the awareness of book buyers and encourage everyone to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books. The campaign is organized for the second time by Eco-Libris, a green company working to make reading more sustainable. We invite you to join the discussion on "green" books and support books printed in an eco-friendly manner! A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris website. I'd first like to point out that this book has been printed on acid-free paper that is 100% recycled, ancient-forest friendly (100% post consumer waste). Ezra Levant seeks to moralize the tar sands by demoralizing oil imported from other countries. He addresses the idea that there are many myths associated with the tar sands and attests to the idea that there would be terrible implication if the tar sands were to be closed. He addresses social and environmental impacts of the tar sands in relation to other oil sources. Overall, Ethical Oil is an engaging examination if not provocative reading on the idea of putting ethics above environment. I may be slightly biased as I am an environmentalist so I will try not to dwell on my personal opinion surrounding what this reading discusses. I see what Ezra is trying to do with this book by identifying that there are far worse places socially to obtain our oil but I am discouraged by the fact that he denies any social impacts here in Canada. Although limited these social impacts in conjunction with the significantly detrimental environmental impacts in my opinion make our oil sands less ethical. Anyways, that is my rant. I will now just discuss the quality of the writing. Ezra Levant writes for the everyday reader. The writing is actually quite easy to understand. I don't believe you need a university degree to understand it. Therefore, although engaging the book did nothing to change my opinion on the oil sands. However, I do recommend it as it is an interesting and somewhat educating resource.

I would first like to say that I spent 10 months on a site North of Fort McMurray and that I've been working in the oilsands industry since 2006. I found that Ezra's book spoke the truth about what really goes on in Northern Alberta and that the general population's misconception about what happens up there is so delusional due to the media. I feel that this book is fact checked to the nth degree to ensure correctness, which is hugely appreciated by me considering I work in the industry and because I know it's not the normal swill that gets spouted about Alberta's North. I think every Canadian should read this book and seriously quesiton their motives when they say the oilsands are dirty and that we should shut all the sites down. I have more friends from the East coast that I met working up there than any other province in this country. Think about that. You close the oilsands and there will be thousands of hungry families in this nation. I find it amusing that when BPs deepwater Horizon started leaking, within days of this happening, the oilsands were being ridiculed for something. Last night, after finishing the book, I hear about tanker explosions in the Middle East, complete with photos of burning transport trucks and black plumes being released into the sky... AND WE'RE THE DIRTY OIL PRODUCERS? WE ARE THE ONES WITH THE CO2 EMISSION ISSUES? come on now... Like Ezra states, if you boil everything down to what's ethical and what's not, Canadian oil, Albertan oil comes out way on top. Paces ahead of the other countries on this planet. We are just easy to pick on because we won't shoot you for coming onto site, we won't throw you in jail for speaking your mind. God only knows what would happen to me for writing this review if I were in the UAE or Sudan... not to mention the fact that I wouldn't even be working in the industry because of the simple fact that I'm a woman! I do believe that we do need to invest in researching alternative sources of energy; however, until this becomes feasible oil will not go away and it should be noted that every man, woman, child and housepet on this planet uses some form of oil and gas or oil and gas by-products every single day. It's no so simple to cut it out of your life when it has infiltrated every fibre of your life. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for an honest read on what really goes on in the oilsands industry, if you're looking to be educated in something called the truth and if you're wanting a reaction of "you've got to be kidding me" and awe of what really goes on in this world. It's time for everyone to pull the wool off their eyes and see what's really going on, not the crap we've been fed over the years by the media, corporations and environmental groups... which leads me to my last point.... when Greenpeace decided to show up on site (that I was working on) and chain themselves to a heavy hauler, how did they get there? Did they walk or ride bicycles or even use an electric vehicle to get there?? I think not. Were they wearing shoes that didn't contain an oil by-product? I highly doubt it.