Africa -- a region long known to be rich in oil -- is the scene of a competition between major powers that recalls the 19th-century scramble for colonization there. But what does this new oil boom mean -- for America, for the world, for Africans themselves? To find out, John Ghazvinian traveled through twelve African countries -- from Sudan to Congo to Angola -- talking to warlords, industry executives, bandits, activists, priests, missionaries, oil-rig workers, scientists, and ordinary people whose lives have been transformed by the riches beneath their feet. The result is a high-octane narrative that reveals the reasons for despair and reasons for hope emerging from the world¿s newest energy hot spot.