Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor and her brother, H. Alan Day, tell the story of growing up in the harsh yet beautiful land of the Lazy B Ranch in Arizona. The book is organized as a series of vignettes ranging from character sketches of the cowboys who spent their lives on the ranch to rain to the BLM.

I loved this book. I first became aware of it during a trip to southern Arizona. The authors describe a way of life -- on an isolated cattle ranch -- that is almost extinct. I knew that water was important in such a land, but I didn't know that the majority of the time of the owners and employees of the ranch was spent in maintaining the wells, windmills and pumps that provided that water.

Sandra Day O'Connor and Alan Day have written a autobiography that reads like a saga. In the first chapter we learn about the Lazy B. Judging by the size of the Lazy B, 15 miles by 16 miles, I'd venture to guess this is where the term "spread" originated. Not only do we learn the Lazy B encompassed most of the State of Arizona but that it was founded on historic land that was part of the Gadsden Purchase.

In Chapter two we meet Pa Day. Day, a hard working hands-on cattle rancher and shrewd businessman, begrudgingly shot 800 head of cattle in order to keep the ranch solvent.

In other chapters we meet Ma Day, along with a number of the colorful ranch hands, and even some of the family pets.

The book is loaded with photos of the Day family, the ranch, the livestock, and the ranch hands. After reading "Lazy B..." I felt fortunate to have read this firsthand account of the life of a woman who will someday find her way into our history books.

This is the story of a woman who became one of the most powerful women in America. I now know why President Ronald Reagan was so very impressed with Sandra Day O'Connor; appointing her to serve as the first woman justice to the United States Supreme Court.

Highly recommended for readers of all ages. Cammy Diaz

I loved reading this beautiful, gritty account of the remote Arizona cattle ranch where O'Connor and her brother grew up. The book is a portrait of the Lazy B ranch and the family and cowboys who created and sustained it for over a century. O'Connor's account is unromantized and yet touching, and it succeeds in vividly revealing a bygone way of life from the old West.

We see the the daily rhythms and activities of ranch life, the ongoing struggles of the Day family to keep the ranch afloat, and portraits of the colorful, rugged cowboys who worked at the Lazy B for most of their lives. And we hear the perspectives and fond recollections of the young girl (O'Connor) and her brother who grew up there.

If you are drawn to the West, you'll enjoy this book as much as I did.