Lasso the Wind: Away to the New West

A plea to learn from our mistakes and hubris, to see the West with different eyes. Its history and its possibilities.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I have been to almost all these places. Brings thoughts of what have we done especially with our present weather changes.

I have a longstanding personal discipline when it comes to selecting books to read; every 5th book or so – I require myself to read something published approximately 10+ years ago. Thus, I encountered author Timothy Egan for the first time. Tonight, I just ordered three more of his books (I started my second Egan work last night)…I was absolutely – blown away – pardon the unintentional poor pun – by Lasso the Wind…I could NOT put it down. Spellbinding, literary talent beyond you wildest imagination, research to warp your mind, fantastic story-teller, unparalleled non-fiction and a contributor to American history the likes of which I have never encountered. Needless to say, I am now addicted to Egan’s work!I typically read somewhere between 60-100 books a year. As of August 2017, Lasso The Wind is my unequivocal year to date favorite.The way Egan weaves his storytelling and his research is – well – it’s simply unique and deeply engaging for the reader. JUST BUY THIS BOOK!!!The history of the American West is widely and deeply inhabited by fictional myth. Egan eviscerates that B.S. in a way that leads one not only to a new, better informed understanding – but – leaves you inspired to continue to be curious about common understandings of history – and to examine the notion of “progress” that continues to lead humans to do unthinkable things to one another – and the planet we inhabit.An absolute treasure…Trust me!!! Expect to read into the wee hours of the morning…I did. A book – and an ARTIST (author) for a broad audience. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is another great book by Egan from Spokane. Have now read 80% of his books. Great writer. Read it

Timothy Egan takes the reader on a trip through the Western States that he believes are struggling to find their place in a constantly changing environment, both physically and politically. He takes you on a road trip and along the way entertains you with hilarious stories, history, opinion, and a cutting edge wit. You follow him on horseback, on walking tours, on water rapids, and through Las Vegas casinos and other man-made venues. He has an emotional attachment to the land that he is traversing, and he shows you the good and the ugly of what the West has become. He leaves you with hope that the best of the people may prevail in this place he calls home.

No one better describes the hubris that conquered America--and now threatens it in so many ways. The West presents perhaps Egan's best canvass to portray America's peculiar individualism, a breed that refuses to acknowledge either the aboriginal ownership of our land or our current government's authority to protect it for the entire public. Egan is perplexed, even frustrated by those in the West who perceive themselves as its only legitimate owners for all time, but his admiration of their energy and ingenuity also shines through. Above all, he is a man deeply in love with the land, and wrestles with the dichotomous pressures to preserve its current status quo or to exploit it until it becomes an unrecognizable waste land/

Excellent writing. A must read. Great author

Three stars may be unfair to this book but I gave it three stars because it's chapters cover different regions of Southwest history. Each chapter is independent and covers the history of a different, but interesting, area of the Southwest. If you live in, or are interested in the Southwest U.S., you will probably enjoy this book. I live in Arizona and have done a lot of travel in the Southwest. I read the whole book but was only interested in some of the areas covered particularly those that I had visited. Those particular chapters I would give 5 stars but other chapters that I had no interest in would only rate a 1 or 2 stars, not because it wasn't well written but because I just wasn't interested in that particular area. Due to the way the book is divided it's hard to give it a star rating. I would suggest checking out what areas are of interest to you and if they are covered in the book you will enjoy the interesting historical perspectives.