A good history of the founding of the west. I liked that the author dispelled the many myths of the old west, largely perpetrated by Hollywood; however, his tone often sounded a bit pleading. The author had ancestors who settled the west, and he seemed desperate at times for his readers to understand how specious Hollywood's portrayals are; it was almost off-putting at times.

Having said that, the book was otherwise well-written, and the above criticism applied to a minority of the book, so I'd still recommend it. ( )