POINT RICHMOND, Calif. - Richmond author Steve Early's new book
Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money and the Remaking of an American City is a complete tour de force.
It's
sooooo thorough, detailed, compelling and well-written that a single reading of this tome is probably not enough. A second read is required to pick up the rich detail Early has laid out for readers here.
Refinery Town delves deeply into the story of Richmond's cultural-political-industrial roots, moving through the decades to the point when a progressive political revolution wrested control of the city government away from oil giant Chevron.
Even sans the history lesson, the tale of the growth of the Richmond Progressive Alliance and the change in the political landscape could be the basis for a political-thriller novel.
Chevron didn't give up quietly.
Refinery Town also is a paean to the labor union movement, explaining its part in the growth of Richmond and how it influenced the progressive politics for which the City of Richmond has gained fame, not just nationally, but internationally.
The book's forward by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders - a well-known figure in Richmond long before he ran for President of the United States - sets the stage for the dramatic non-fiction narrative in Early's book.
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| Bernie Sanders |
"Our country obviously needs a great deal of change at the state and federal levels. But laying a solid local foundation, like activists in Richmond have done, is an important first step in overcoming working-class alienation from politics and resulting low voter-turnout rates... Fortunately, as Richmond writer and longtime labor activist Steve Early reveals in this book, there are local success stories in the fight to keep corporate giants like Chevron from just buying elections," Sanders wrote.
Neatly divided into seven sections,
Refinery Town covers territory from the Chevron Refinery's horrific 2012 fire - that sent more than 15,000 area residents to seek medical treatment for respiratory ailments - all the way to recent battles over rent control and the gentrification of the city.
The section titled "Tuesday Night Cage Fights" details out how tense and out of control city council meetings got at times as there were "escalating clashes between old and new political forces."
Refinery Town is recommended reading, particularly to get a grip on local politics and the importance of local governments - especially as we enter the
murky waters of the Donald Trump presidential administration.
Early sums
that notion up nicely in his thoughtful epilog.
"Our city's emergency response lesson is this: when we shelter in place together, we can change our communities for the better."
Review by Michael J. Fitzgerald
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Book Signing Wednesday at Kaleidoscope Café
Author Steve Early will be launching a 16-stop national book tour of
Refinery Town with an appearance at the Kaleidoscope Cafe in Point Richmond, Wednesday, Jan. 18 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
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| Steve Early |
The book party, co-sponsored by Kaleidoscope and the
Richmond Pulse newspaper, will start with music and a happy hour at 6 p.m. with conversation, book signing and more conversation at 7 p.m.
The event is also a fundraiser for
Richmond Pulse.
Pulse editor Malcolm Marshall will be speaking along with Early. An RSVP is highly recommended, Early says. You can contact him either through email here:
Steve Early or by phone at : 510-260-0636.
Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money and the Remaking of an American City goes on sale January 17.
