Alcock elegantly chronicles not only the changes wrought on the desert by people but also the ability of the desert to recover and rejuvenate if given the chance. He offers us hope through stories of small, tentative successes - such as the reintroduction of the masked bobwhite quail in southeastern Arizona - all the while gently but persistently prodding us to "maintain the biological heritage that...has the capacity to enrich the lives of us all, if we would just respect it a little more."