Brad Tyer

As usual, I received this book because of the kind consideration of the author, the publisher and a GoodReads giveaway. Despite this bountiful and kind consideration I will provide my candid feedback below.

In a nutshell, this book is the story of a small town in Montana that, in the author's words, was "shit upon" and plundered by local industry over the course of decades in the pursuit of economic progress.

The author brings to light an important aspect of American culture and history. Much of the "progress" of yesteryear, was, let's face it, brought about at the cost of total disregard for the environment of the area and the people who worked there. This is an important and not at all unique story of the costs of industrialization. The author gives us boundless detail and history on the area and the men who exploited it...

... but with it he provides a lot of information that is completely irrelevant. As much as I adore a good environmental tragedy, this one is simply too broad in its scope. It focuses quite specifically geographically, but goes on about history all the way back to the first natives to hammered copper into axes 12,000 years ago. More alarmingly, the author's personal history is woven into the story with far too much emphasis and is potently distracting.

In summary, I really wanted this book to be a grand expose about industrial abuse of natural resources. Unfortunately, it was far too unfocused and seemed to be padded with personal and historical tidbits. I have a clear sense of the tragedy of the area but I can't help but feel that I learned far too much about the author and pre-historic use of copper in the process. A great idea poorly executed.

PS: It is my endeavor to provide reviews that are succinct, honest, balanced and above all help the potential reader to answer the simple question, "Do I want to read this or not?" Any feedback you can provide about how you feel I have accomplished those goals (or not) is immensely appreciated.… (meer)