Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides

Partly because I live out here in the West, I'm fascinated by the history the development of the Western United States. I'm also fascinated by it because it represents one of the last areas where people could physically be pioneers -- now, the world is much more densely populated and the rule of law has extended to cover virtually all the land mass of the world. So, if you want to pitch it all and strike out on your own, it's nearly impossible. Perhaps space travel will someday (a very long time from now) change that, but that won't happen in my life time. But even back when it was possible, it sure wasn't easy, as many of the stories in this book attest.

This book is a combination of a biography of Kit Carson, a legendary so-called mountain man, and a history of 1800s New Mexico. Despite focusing on one person and one area, Sides is able to paint a fascinating picture of the forces that formed the American Southwest. Partially he is able to do so because Carson was tangentially involved in so many different events -- the United States takeover of New Mexico in the Mexico War, the battles with the Navajos that led to their being put on a reservation, Civil War battles (yes, in New Mexico), and many expeditions that explored various areas of the west. Moreover, New Mexico was a place in which three cultures intersected in the 1800s -- the Spanish Mexicans, the Native Americans, and the pioneers, and Kit Carson was right in the middle of many of these groups' collisions (and mergers, as his marriages and friendships with others in other groups attest).

As for the book itself, well, it inspired my mom to want to take a vacation to New Mexico. This is the second book by Hampton Sides I've read -- his book Ghost Soldiers about the rescue of the prisoners from the Bataan Death March in WWII was also excellent.