English

Great Plains

Imagine a car trip through the Plains states with Umberto Eco and Bill Bryson. You are along in the back seat. As you drive Umberto enlightens you to Western lore....Crazy Horse as premiere American culture hero, Lawrence Welk as a musical powerhouse, 1830's smallpox vaccination programs for Indians, the ecological importance of tumbleweeds and on and on. Soon enough, Bill takes you to see Sitting Bull's house lot, abandoned ABM control centers, a cattle ranch 50 miles long, off beat museums, cheap hotels of note. There's plenty of hitchhikers and odd characters along the way to add to their narratives. Unfortunately, neither of these authors are in the book, however, Ian Frazier has many of their admirable attributes. His blend of intrepidity, tongue-in-cheek humor, and wide-eyed wonder make the book a most pleasant and informative read. As you turn the pages you don't know what's around the next bend. But, for sure, there's going to be bizarre revelations and fun sightseeing. It's a travelogue, a work of scholarship, and a western adventure. From Clovis Point archaeological sites, to Bonnie and Clyde's crime trail, to the location of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood', to the Plain'

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