A fascinating account of the colonization of the West. There were more triumphs, tragedies, colorful characters, and interesting cultures than you can shake a stick at. The author gives a pretty even handed account of things, if perhaps taking a bit of extra care to emphasize the unrelenting travesties that were perpetrated on the Indians, and the differing cultural histories and values that fueled those fires. I wish I’d known history could be so interesting when they were trying to shove it down my throat back in high school. Maybe they just picked the wrong books.