This is recommended for the boomer turning 50 who needs nothing but a good laugh. Suitable for males and/or femalies well-endowed with funny bones.

A very funny book. Reads like a script for a Jim Carrey romp. Cousin Harry has enough facial hair to suggest he's a werewolf. When he arrives in New York from Transylvania, his appearance generates humor, lust, disbelief, avarice, jealousy and compassion in a wacky cast of characters he encounters. He's befriended by a madam, wins the lottery, gets kidnapped, and is signed to star in a TV series. His hilarious adventures will leave you laughing. And wondering.

In line with much of the new non-fiction surveys and studies, the book, in short essays gives the picture on much information that I have not seen before on the Gold Rush and the aftermath. In particular it gives a reader a chance to compare the Internet investment frenzy with the Gold Mine stocks frenzy in the 1860s & 70s.

The information is concise and beautifully and fascinatingly written.

Jim Rawls's book is a wonderful resource for children to study the reality of the typical mining town from heyday to ghost town. It includes a general description of the hardships endured by the miners as well as several examples of the effects of prejudice (and too much whiskey!) on the many "foreign" miners. I would have liked to see a few more direct quotes from the Dame Shirley letters, but the information is given using age-appropriate language and length. Definitely worth the time to read.