For anyone interested in the history of the West and all those who live in the American West and are concerned with its future, this is a must read book. Chalk full of little known, scandalous, and emblematic tales of the settling, development and growth of the primarily desert West, Cadillac Desert is a great read in the sense that it mixes the great academic historical research with good story-telling. One of the best history books I've read and learned from, there is more to know in this book than can be remembered in one reading, and more implications for the future of the West than most would care to admit.