Something in the Soil: Legacies and Reckonings in the New West

SOMETHING IN THE SOIL is a collection of essays relating to the "history of the New West" (or "the new history of the West") with which Limerick is associated. Some of the essays are recycled, and some were not previously published. Limerick tries to impose some order by grouping them in five Parts, but still the book has a mildly disjointed feel, though Limerick's distinctive style and voice provides some unity. What Limerick brings to the table is a willingness to reconsider and examine anew many issues, including many myths, associated with the American West, and to discuss them clearly and cogently. Although the book was published eight years ago (and several of the essays originally published longer ago than that), the essays are still sufficiently relevant to warrant reading them. And the reading will be much easier and enjoyable than is the case with the work of most university historians. Limerick makes it a point to avoid academic jargon and tortured syntax (indeed, one of the essays addresses the problems seemingly endemic to academic writing), and she has achieved a distinctive voice, rather informal and casual, yet honest and sincere. She also is to be commended for re-thinking and, where she finds it appropriate, revising her earlier work, including "The Legacy of Conquest," which was published in 1987 and elevated Limerick to the front rank of "New West" historians. Occasionally, her points or arguments strike me as a little far-fetched or over-the-top, but at least she is lively and provocative.

Limerick made a huge mark on the study of the American west with her "Legacy of Conquest" so I'll read anything with her name on it. This book is a compilation of speeches and essays, which she has tried to group together thematically. Each essay on its own is interesting, but as a group, they don't work. Each piece was written for a different audience - an environmental group, a commemorative book, historians. It feels rather disjointed. Also, she is often speaking to people with some background knowledge of her subject matter, so she does not always explain references to books, authors, events. I think if someone was looking for an introduction to Western history, this would be one of those works you would read after having read other works. For the new-comer, Legacy of Conquest is a much better introduction.

This book is passionate but eminently fair--a rare combination these days. Whatever your views of cowboys, Indians, gold miners, the U.S.Army, Mexican-Americans, Mormons, Californians, etc. may be, I guarantee you will think differently about ALL of them and more if you read this book. I earnestly hope Ms. Limerick will write such a book about the nation as a whole: we need it.

In true "new west" fasion, Dr. Limerick uncovers and more important contextualizes some rather uncomfortable but necessary information about darker moments in the history of the West. However Limerick also moves beyond that paradigm and wittily "reads" why we read certain aspects of history the way that we do. The book definately made me think about how I view the West, both historically and in present time. I found the insistent cateloging a bit overdone, but much of the book is laugh out loud funny. If you are used to reading dull academic prose, this is a wonderful breath of Colorado-fresh air (a little dry, a little hot, but resusitating nonetheless). Best of all, she includes three addendum pieces, one of which offers some succinct and much needed advice on writing readable prose. The other, "Dancing with Professors" a sly little piece she wrote for a mass audience on why professors act the way that they do, is worth the book itself.