A labor of seventeen years, Vollmann"s first book of nonfiction since 1992"s An Afghanistan Picture Show is a gravely urgent invitation to look back at the world"s long, bloody path and find some threads of meaning, wisdom, and guidance to plot a moral course. From the street violence of prostitutes and junkies to the centuries-long battles between the Native Americans and European colonists,Vollmann"s mesmerizing imagery and compelling logic is presented with authority born of astounding research and personal experience.