If you want to understand the contradictions of life in 21st century west, there are two books you must read: John Wesley Powell’s Report on the Arid Lands, and Edward Abbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang. You also must understand that both were deeply insightful, and that both were also full of crap, and thinking through the contradictions within and between the two books is essential.
Coco points out that the Durango Herald points out that the Desert News points out that they’re making a movie of The Monkey Wrench Gang. It’s hard to imagine how one might make a film of the Report on the Arid Lands, but it’d make a terrific double bill.