The Sierra Nevada Before History: Ancient Landscapes, Early Peoples

this is a proper requisite for "Defying the Odds". this stops when the other starts.

This is a fascinating book about the natural history and indigenous cultures of Sierra. I really enjoy all of the information of this provides, which can be very detailed and engaging. the author goes into great depth about the different life zones along the mountains, and how plant and animal life as well as the indigenous cultures.However, I must get this book four stars for two reasons. First, there is often a disconnect between the language of the text and the language of images, diagrams, and other graphics. This made it somewhat confusing for me to link the visuals to the text. Second, the sections on indigenous groups, while interesting, generally lacked a coherent narrative. The information was presented as an excited ramble, which made it difficult find me to organize the information.However, this was still an enjoyable and informative book, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the natural and human history of the Sierra region.

Enjoyable, but general, synopsis of Sierra Nevada prehistory. Would have liked more citations from the last 20 years of archaeological research.