A very interesting book! Moneyhon's focuses on the rebuilding of Arkansas' government and economy is very concise. He details the difficult tasks of building an infrastructure to lure industry and commerce to Arkansas. Another area that the book focused on was the begining of the transformation from the slave labor economy to a more modern agricultural and industrial economy. Moneyhon also does a good job of describing the hardships of the countless poor farmers and sharecroppers. The plights of the newly freed slaves are also portrayed in detail. Being from Arkansas, this book not only expanded the stories that I was already familiar with, but also taught me new histories of the state. A "must read" if you are interested in the post-Civil War South.

Maps on a wide variety of subjects are included, from natural resources, elections results, Civil War tactical maps, settlement patterns, etc. Not flashy at all, no color maps, but useful nonetheless