Book summary

These 12 essays by Larry McMurtry, originally published in the New York Review of Books, offer further reflections on the West, old and new. McMurtry's topics include forgotten Western writers, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the genocidal US policies toward Native Americans in the 19th century and after.

Media reviews

"Throughout, McMurtry is an intelligent, witty and sometimes cranky commentator. With perhaps a twinkle in his eye, he rails against the revisionists who have dominated the field of western American history in recent decades....Although the book does not necessarily transcend the origin of its chapters as review essays, McMurtry provides enough provocative insights to make SACAGAWEA'S NICKNAME a substantial and engaging volume."