The Making of Modern Nevada (Shepperson Series in Nevada History)

Nevada has always been different from other states. Almost from its
beginning, Nevada sanctioned behaviors considered immoral elsewhere gambling, prize-fighting, brothels, easy divorce and embraced a culture of individualism and disdain for the constraints of more conventional society.
In The Making of Modern Nevada, author Hal Rothman focuses on the factors that shaped the state s original maverick, colonial status and those
that later allowed it to emerge as the new standard of American consumer-
ism and postmodern liberalism. Rothman introduces the masters who sought to own Nevada, from bonanza kings to Mafia mobsters, as well as
the politicians, miners, gamblers, civic and civil-rights leaders, union organ-
izers, and casino corporate moguls who guided the state into prosperity
and national importance. He also analyzes the role of mob and labor union
money in the development of Las Vegas; the Sagebrush Rebellion; the rise
of megaresorts and of Las Vegas as a world icon of leisure and pleasure;
and the political and social impact of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear
waste repository. The Making of Modern Nevada is essential reading for anyone who wonders how the Silver State got this way, and where it may
be going in the twenty-first century.