This book was engaging and hard to put down at times. That is a major accomplishment for non-fiction that wades into intellectual and philosophical waters.

I was engaged in the book from the beginning, but I connected with Childs on page 151 when I read the words "They're in love, the root and the jar, can't you see?" He was conveying his horrified reaction to the lack of connection that an archeologist showed for the artifact and it's relationship to it's setting. He could have done this in many ways, but the immediate thought that he shared was both poetic and deeply visceral.

He taps that same human connection again on page 159 as he talks about a salvage archeologist and finding out why she is chosen to do most of the grave removals. "She was the chosen gravedigger because she grieved. I was speechless, watching her snap up a dustpan and a broom - the tools of the trade to get the dead out of our way."

Despite his own strong feelings about wanting to leave artifacts in their place, he seems captivated by the obvious dedication and deep emotion of personal collector Forrest Fenn. My own views waver somewhere between those of Childs and Fenn, who said, "Why shouldn't we be able to touch this? What is wrong with giving you this feeling? It is a privilege." and "It's not the object, it's the story behind the object."

This book is not only a good read for history and archeology buffs, but for all people who feel the need to collect or gather things. It asks honest questions, explores many perspectives and leaves the answers up to the reader.