Cobalt: Cradle of the Demon Metals, Birth of a Mining Superpower

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Cobalt: Cradle of the Demon Metals, Birth of a Mining Superpower
Cobalt, Cradle of the Demon Metals, Birth of a Mining Superpower book cover.webp
Author Charlie Angus
Subjects
  • Mining history
  • corporate misbehaviour
Publisher House of Anansi Press
Publication date
February 1, 2022
Pages336
ISBN 978-1487009496

Cobalt: Cradle of the Demon Metals, Birth of a Mining Superpower is a 2022 book by Canadian politician Charlie Angus.

Contents

The non-fiction publication documents the mining history of Cobalt, Ontario, and tensions between mining corporations and the population.

Publication

Cobalt is written by Canadian politician Charlie Angus. A member of the New Democratic Party, he had served as the Member of Parliament for Timmins—James Bay since 2004. [1] [2] It is published by House of Anansi Press. [3]

Synopsis

Cobalt documents the events in Cobalt, Ontario around the turn of the 20th century, in particular the power and role of mining companies. [2]

The book examines the dominance of the perspectives of White settlers in histories of prospecting rushes, despite the trade in metals by Indigenous peoples for two thousand years prior. It notes the theft of land from Indigenous peoples, the exploitation of workers and the environmental damage that occurred in early-20th-century Ontario, and subsequently on a global scale. [4] The book discusses the federal Government of Canada's complicity in mining companies' abuses of land ownership. [5]

Critical reception

Don Curry's review of the book in Bay Today described the book as "gripping", "hard hitting" and a "page turner". [6] The book was shortlisted for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario's Speaker's Book Prize in 2022. [1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Lapointe, Mike (20 July 2022). "NDP MP Charlie Angus' book shortlisted for Speaker's Book Award". The Hill Times. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  2. 1 2 "Charlie Angus' new book a reflection on rough, complex history of Cobalt, Ont". CBC. 6 Feb 2022.
  3. "The dark side of Cobalt, the digital age's miracle metal". Toronto Star . 2022-01-30. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  4. "Cobalt, Charlie Angus". CBC.
  5. Scales, Marilyn (29 June 2022). "How the "demon metal" gave Canadian mining a bad name". Canadian Mining Journal. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  6. Curry, Don (6 Nov 2022). "Opinion: Charlie Angus digs deep into Cobalt's history with latest book". BayToday.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-01.