Hard to rate. The subject matter was interesting throughout and I learned quite a bit. But the writing style was somewhat stream-of-consciousness, with run-on sentences and lists, and it jumped from topic to topic with no rhyme or reason. The author had a few soapbox issues — the death of Crazy Horse, the pointlessness of farming dry uplands, the money wasted on missiles. And he had a way of talking about them that included a subtle conceit — like he knew better and could have warned people if he had been asked. I understand the longing for the past, but the past was just a different set of problems.