MixedThe New York Times Book ReviewA deeply reported revelation of the human costs of mining the minerals on which those batteries depend, from cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo to nickel in Indonesia ... Niarchos is an intrepid and curious correspondent. He introduces us to so-called artisanal miners in Congo, people who risk their lives and meager fortunes in a harrowing effort to harvest valuable rocks from the earth ... He examines the development of the lithium-ion battery industry in Japan. He tells the story of how China transformed from a poor country full of bicycles into the world’s leading source of electric vehicles ... Unfortunately, this trove of material is served up with scant attention to narrative. The result is a book that is frequently a bewildering slog.
