Shop top categories that ship internationally
$11.00 with 59 percent savings
List Price: $26.95
FREE International Returns
No Import Fees Deposit & $14.29 Shipping to Austria Details

Shipping & Fee Details

Price $11.00
AmazonGlobal Shipping $14.29
Estimated Import Fees Deposit $0.00
Total $25.29

Delivery Thursday, February 13
Or fastest delivery Tuesday, February 4. Order within 17 hrs 54 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$11.00 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$11.00
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Greg Palast
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Vultures' Picnic: In Pursuit of Petroleum Pigs, Power Pirates, and High-Finance Carnivores Hardcover – November 14, 2011

by Greg Palast (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 187 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$11.00","priceAmount":11.00,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"00","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"3IZOq8aQ2z%2BJZRAFSU1WMe7PrFQT%2BFPMaoCNVR1tNTgO0GPqSWRjypvzAipLcRMFk7OLhbVZglXQsWTfPteDTH9M1k2HV65aOcXhFXoxQlx0cUimMCO9TlH%2FXGKdGGgVyTqMaR5wmAarmYjndkUnQw6sgxVs2moIxfZ%2BBa5wn1FMsA%2B2VD%2B70%2Bob8agrsoZ5","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The New York Times bestselling author of Armed Madhouse offers a globetrotting, Sam Spade-style investigation that blows the lid off the oil industry, the banking industry, and the governmental agencies that aren't regulating either.

This is the story of the corporate vultures that feed on the weak and ruin our planet in the process-a story that spans the globe and decades.

For Vultures' Picnic, investigative journalist Greg Palast has spent his career uncovering the connection between the world of energy (read: oil) and finance. He's built a team that reads like a casting call for a Hollywood thriller-a Swiss multilingual investigator, a punk journalist, and a gonzo cameraman-to reveal how environmental disasters like the Gulf oil spill, the Exxon Valdez, and lesser-known tragedies such as Tatitlek and Torrey Canyon are caused by corporate corruption, failed legislation, and, most interestingly, veiled connections between the financial industry and energy titans. Palast shows how the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organization, and Central Banks act as puppets for Big Oil.

With Palast at the center of an investigation that takes us from the Arctic to Africa to the Amazon, Vultures' Picnic shows how the big powers in the money and oil game slip the bonds of regulation over and over again, and simply destroy the rules that they themselves can't write-and take advantage of nations and everyday people in the process.

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    432 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Dutton Adult
  4. Publication date
    November 14, 2011
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    6.4 x 1.31 x 9.3 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0525952071
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0525952077
  9. See all details
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

Vultures' Picnic: In Pursuit of Petroleum Pigs, Power Pirates, and High-Finance Carnivores
This item: Vultures' Picnic: In Pursuit of Petroleum Pigs, Power Pirates, and High-Finance Carnivores
$11.00
Get it as soon as Thursday, Feb 13
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by Mapple Shops and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: A Tale of Billionaires & Ballot Bandits
$13.44
Only 7 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Billionaires & Ballot Bandits: How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps
$14.95
Only 1 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
187 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book readable and engaging. They appreciate the investigative reporting and hard evidence for the information presented. Readers value the humor and sense of humor. However, some find the pacing disjointed and the writing style easy to read, while others describe it as choppy and garbled. There are mixed opinions on the scariness level, with some finding it thrilling and funny, while others consider the recounts horrific and terrifying.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityInvestigative reportingInformation qualityHumorWriting styleScariness levelPacing
42 customers mention "Readability"42 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it believable, interesting, and enjoyable. The writing style is described as frenetic at times, but readers appreciate the engaging story and challenging views on the subject. Many consider it brilliant and highly recommended.

"...I believe that this book will be much more informative and enjoyable the second time through...." Read more

"...This book is wonderful, and it's about places I know geographically and processes I know professionally...." Read more

"Let me start by saying this is a fascinating book...." Read more

"A different kind of read. I liked that. It held my interest. Just reflects on me that I'm not a literary person...." Read more

15 customers mention "Investigative reporting"15 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's investigative reporting. They find it provides hard evidence for the information presented, allowing readers to verify the veracity of factual information. The stories are real and don't end when the book is finished. The reporting appears solid and thoroughly researched.

"...Only this time it's not a fictional detective story. It's a real life investigative, horror account...." Read more

"...Palast is one of the most important investigative reporters alive and the material in this book proves that...." Read more

"...With Greg's investigative skills and fantastic sense of humour (some may find it a little crude, but it's good to have some gallows humour sometimes)..." Read more

"Only Palast could write this book. He's a professional investigator holding advanced degrees in economics coupled with an enormous writing talent...." Read more

8 customers mention "Information quality"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and entertaining. They say knowledge is power, and it provides interesting insights into what it takes to be a no-holds-barred and not-for-profit organization.

"...shows before getting this book and felt that the information he was giving was quite extraordinary...." Read more

"...it to everyone - it's rare to be that entertained and informed simultaneously." Read more

"...It gives interesting insight into what it takes to be a no-holds-barred and not-for-sale investigative reporter..." Read more

"...It is informative with an attitude (style?). Greg writes in a manner that you vividly remember the content...." Read more

4 customers mention "Humor"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book. They say the author has a fantastic sense of humor and writes in a style that matches King for wit and clarity.

"...However, the writing of the book is not at its best. Jokes are fine and make for an easier read, especially of such topics, but the tone in this..." Read more

"...With Greg's investigative skills and fantastic sense of humour (some may find it a little crude, but it's good to have some gallows humour sometimes)..." Read more

"...4. This book is written in a style that rivals King for wit and clarity and presentation of subject. 5...." Read more

"A great book. a fun / fast / funny / scary ride to read. A true story, and a must read for any political leaning...." Read more

19 customers mention "Writing style"10 positive9 negative

Customers have different views on the writing style. Some find it engaging and easy to read, with a clear presentation of the subject. Others mention choppy, garbled sentences, paragraphs, and chapters that are virtually unreadable.

"...Jokes are fine and make for an easier read, especially of such topics, but the tone in this book is sometimes hard to swallow...." Read more

"...I find this book believable even if the writing style is a little frenetic. I guess it's to convey the hectic chase needed to go after the news...." Read more

"...I found this book to be an easy read in to what was done and how they did it...." Read more

"This was a scary, incoherent book by someone who admires himself over much...." Read more

5 customers mention "Scariness level"2 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the book's scariness level. Some find it thrilling and funny, while others describe the recounts as horrific and terrifying.

"This was a scary, incoherent book by someone who admires himself over much...." Read more

"...It's a real life investigative, horror account. Only no one is being held accountable. Greg goes into the weeds and gives the details...." Read more

"...The things this book recounts are horrific and terrifying. And they continue to go on and on and on. "..." Read more

"A great book. a fun / fast / funny / scary ride to read. A true story, and a must read for any political leaning...." Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive4 negative

Customers find the pacing disjointed. They like the writing style, but feel the book jumps around too much.

"I enjoyed the book, and you will too. That being said, the book is terribly disjointed...." Read more

"Vulture's Picnic by Greg Palast is one of the most disjointed, rambling, stream of consciousness, garbled bunch of sentences, paragraphs, and..." Read more

"Don't like the style of writing - too disjointed - jumps around from place to place all over the map and back and forth in time...." Read more

"...What I encountered in the book was a disjointed, interwoven series of vignettes, that trace his travels and adventures...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Melkor
    5.0 out of 5 stars A note to readers
    Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    A note to readers (i wrote this after reading some negative 1-star reviews, as a response to why I believe some found this book disappointing):
    This book is about the vultures, bankers, and petroleum criminals mentioned in the title. Unlike Palast's other books, such as "Armed Madhouse", he takes a different approach with the prose in "Vultures' Picnic". The beginning of the book can be quite confusing as Palast jumps around from seemingly unrelated story-to-story. Around page 30 he explains that he is doing that on purpose so the reader can experience what it feels like to be involved in investigative reporting. His point is that it isn't a clean and streamline Hollywood movie; rather, true investigative work involves gathering much loose information and the reporter has to try to keep track of all the threads.

    I will admit that I found it is a little rough going at first, while trying to keep track of all the names and dates and places. By chapter three Palast hones in on specific topics and the threads become more apparent within chapters. By the end of the book, I can't say that everything ties together nicely. Reflecting back on the book, I can say that the prose style that he chose makes complete sense. Having just finished the book, I'm going back to page 1 to re-read the entire thing. I believe that this book will be much more informative and enjoyable the second time through.

    Other reviews here cover the topic and plot of this work. It is important to remember that this is not a partisan "democrat" book or "republican" book. One of Palast's points is that both parties are up to their necks in this [mess], so there is no reason that a person on either side of the political fence should avoid reading this book. It is very important to read this book to understand very important factors that are contributing to WHY the American political system is so broken.
    14 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Richard M. France
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Expose'
    Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Greg Palast is really Travis McGee in disguise, complete with his slightly tarnished armor. Only he's not traipsing through Florida; he's gone global. Government corruption, backwater deals, fist fights, drinking and beautiful woman are all involved. Only this time it's not a fictional detective story. It's a real life investigative, horror account. Only no one is being held accountable.

    Greg goes into the weeds and gives the details. But to get into the weeds of international shenanigans, you have to be able to decipher the code. And Mr. Palast proves he has the chops. From the "Chicago boys" school of economics (but a non-member) he is able to uncover the wheeling and dealing of the WTO and the IMF, leaving the reader to exclaim WTF. But more than that, it's on our on home front that his exposé on BP and big oil reveals just how much our moral compass has deviated.

    The Vultures' Picnic provides the facts, the narrative, and the ammunition. Greg Palast shows that the little countries we used to bully are finally standing up and winning. Now it's up to us to fight back to save ourselves. We need to stand up against those that profess to be leading us, when in fact they are leading us to ruin.
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Roger Green
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read
    Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I'm not sure I haven't already written a review, but if I have I'll probably be told so. This book is wonderful, and it's about places I know geographically and processes I know professionally. As one reviewer says, everybody should buy several copies and loan them out to friends and relatives. I have sort of done that unintentionally - by loaning out my first copy and not getting it back and then buying another and loaning it out - etc., etc. The book is still topical. For example the chapter on corporate "vultures" and American extraterritoriality going after small countries like Ecuador. I just saw an article about a judicial victory for Ecuador in the ongoing battle as they continue to deal with an American corporation that's probably wealthier than Ecuador, and has the US corporate/governmental power structure behind it. And corporate abuse of Alaskan natives where big oil has been planning drilling in the Arctic and has only recently withdrawn because of the low price of oil. Read this book, share it around, and then read Greg Palast's other stuff - articles and books. If there was a Nobel Prize for journalism, he should get it.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • AMM
    4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best investigative reporters alive
    Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Let me start by saying this is a fascinating book. Palast is one of the most important investigative reporters alive and the material in this book proves that. Way above great reporters such as Seymor Hersh, Bob Woodward or Ron Suskind, which I greatly admire.

    However, the writing of the book is not at its best. Jokes are fine and make for an easier read, especially of such topics, but the tone in this book is sometimes hard to swallow. I wish Palast would write more in the style of Jeremy Scahill and Naomi Klein. His satirical writing is a distraction from the reality he's trying to describe.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • e angerson
    5.0 out of 5 stars vultures pinic
    Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    A different kind of read. I liked that. It held my interest. Just reflects on me that I'm not a literary person. Some of the content you already know, but hoped no one would confirm. The book sadly shows the total lack of compassion of the one percent. The book shows how our money gets taken away and we never knew it. The thiefs cannot be stipped. I dont know how the author continues in his line of work. The villan always wins. Thank goodnes for Gregg Palast. This book should be required reading. Where did our jobs go? Read the book. The author shows how we are tricked into endorsing these actions. Reading this book confirmed just how powerless I really am. Cause WE dont matter!
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in India on June 20, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    The book is all about investigation. Just pure investigation
    Report
  • Mantaray
    5.0 out of 5 stars The title of the book is perfect.
    Reviewed in Canada on February 18, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A really interesting read. It's depressing to see how much corruption and dishonesty takes place in the board room. Greg Palast writes a compelling argument for grabbing all these CEO's and opportunists, sticking a large funnel in their mouth and ramming all their profit from the misery they cause down their throat until they choke on it. It's mind blowing that this is allowed to proceed. There's no political will and these gangsters get away with it because our elected officials are either directly complicit, or are so impotent that it's pitiful.

    We need more Greg Palasts to shine the light on this kind of behaviour. The title of the book is perfect.
    Report
  • Johannes Kiessling
    5.0 out of 5 stars Proper journalism for once.
    Reviewed in Germany on December 11, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    A most excellent book ingeniously written. It follows the trail of research almost like a detective novel showing how suspicions are followed up with facts. Every couple of pages one's hair stands on end as to how horrific things are in this world. Greg Palast is one of the very few journalists who still take their job seriously and do all the necessary research rather than just copying "from the horse's mouth". A dying breed???
    Report
  • Client Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT
    Reviewed in France on December 6, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This book opens the eyes and the mind. We're all ensnared in consumption and hard-core capitalism, and we tend to forget how rotten our kingdom is and how hazardous our future will be if we don't become aware of how badly we hurt our main asset : the planet. Greg Palast does not have cold feet : he dares challenge the powers of Money, of Business and of our lethal economic system. With sheer irony and profound insight.
    Report
  • Kuma
    5.0 out of 5 stars A disturbing book but something that should be read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Taking off from where Armed Madhouse and The Best Democracy Can Buy left off, Palast brings us up-to-date with his ongoing series of investigations into those corrupt and obscenely wealthy people and corporations who run roughshod over rules and regulations, vacuuming up money and leaving a trail of toxic investments and petroleum residues in their wake.

    Its a disturbing book to read even though it is written in Palast's visceral, witty pulp-noir spiel which renders it palatable, though it surely leaves one with the enduring taste of evil in one's mouth. You will learn a lot of truth here about things you probably do care a lot about - how the flooding of New Orleans as well as the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster in the Gulf Of Mexico and the Exxon Valdez grounding were largely a result of a negligent oil industry who found it is cheaper to pay fines and compensation than to maintain an adequate level of safety for example, or the Fukushima nuclear power plant whose back up diesel engines are known to be inadequate in the event of reactor failure but what is a faked safety report between friends if it saves a few $100M (pretty much standard practice in the industry across the world), or the World Bank's "Poverty Reduction Strategy" - destabilise an economy, force up prices, put down protests, introduce austerity, allow US investment banks to clean up on cut-price nationalised debts, maybe not a worry when it is pisspoor nations like Ecuador rioting, but it seems much closer to home when we see this happening right now in Greece (we've pretty much got to the point in UK of what the WB call "IMF riots" in their confidential documents) we see there is a far greater invisible enemy out there than Al Qaeda - the World Bank, the International Money Fund, the World Trade Organisation, "friendly" organisations out to take all that we have.

    You will also learn about things you probably won't be expected to care much about, the natives, Indians and third world people shafted by big corporations and left in a pool of toxic sludge where they watch their children dying from cancer and other diseases, their ways of life replaced by $8-an-hour jobs cleaning up grimy beaches.

    Particularly disturbing to me are the new class of tycoons Palast calls "Vultures" ("Vampires" is probably a more fitting word) - when you see Bono and the Pope get some third world debt written down, behind the scenes this new class of speculator are buying up this debt at the new knockdown price and then holding the third world to ransom for the full coupon value of the loan, aggressively and quite legally seizing any asset they can, literally starving millions of children to death to put another Bentley on their driveway. The sheer amorality of these people is quite disturbing, and I'm sure if they weren't great pals with the George W. Bushs and Tony Blairs of this world something might be done to bring them to justice.

    The book is a great work of investigative journalism in an age where all too often rehashing an official press-release is passed off as real journalism. There is a certain level of pessimism in Palast's conclusion in how hard it is to right wrongs when a few well-aimed millions can rewrite the legally accepted definition of wrong. But in saying that, the value of Palast's work is not just in attempting to bring evil men and corporations to justice but in getting the facts out there and known by the general population.
    One person found this helpful
     Report