The contemporary gold industry is a globe-straddling empire. This is the untold story of the power, money and violence that built it.Today, Barrick Gold Corporation is one of the richest and most powerful gold-mining companies in the world. But behind the glitter lies an ugly reality: allegations of environmental destruction, collusion with authoritarian regimes and ruthless criminality. In this masterful corporate saga, investigative journalist Richard Poplak traces Barrick's rise from humble origins to global dominance, exposing the politicians, arms dealers, mercenaries and miners who made it possible - and the activists who risked everything to fight back. Spanning the 1940s to the present, this searing investigation uncovers a shocking history of multinational power and human greed, revealing how it shaped the global economic system as we know it.