Summary

Chapter 11, Sisters, I – Odessa and Midland, though located close to one another along Interstate 20 and though both owe their life to oil, are starkly different. Midland is a desert city with tall buildings while Odessa is a sprawling town. Midland has a clean reputation while Odessa’s is mixed at best. Midland is wealthy while Odessa is solidly middle and working class. While many other things are shared in common –such as Republican politics and devout Christianity –the distinctions between the towns keep them divided.

Chapter 11, Sisters, II – During good booms, wealth in Odessa flows freely. Thousands of dollars are spent on everything from redecorating mobile homes to welders with reading problems making more than $80,000 a year. But Odessa’s booms are nothing compared to Midland’s.

Chapter 11, Sisters, III – Midland’s oil booms are legendary, in which people not only...