Elliott West ranks among the most prolific historians studying the American West in our times. He has written extensively on the encounters and clashes of peoples and ethnic groups in the nineteenth-century West. Thus, it is fitting that in his most recent book, West provides a synthesis of the American West during the age of expansion (mid-to-late nineteenth century). Drawing from a broad range of historical scholarship, in many ways Continental Reckoning represents a new benchmark study for the active settler colonization period in the American West (although it never uses the term settler colonialism). It is a treasure trove of information relayed via powerful and gripping narration. West brings the reader close to the events without losing sight of the bigger picture and broader connections. While this is easy and engaging history to read, it is never simple history, with West elucidating intimate experiences and demonstrating an understanding...
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