Railroaded - The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America (Richard White, 2011)

Brand new book, very well reviewed.  Usually I'm very careful about book selection - far too many from which to choose, time is precious, and I feel guilty if I don't finish a book once I start it (which is odd when you think about it).

Made a selection mistake this time, so this was the unusual case where I happily dumped the book (after 150 or so pages in this instance).  The title - "Railroaded" - perhaps should have tipped me off.  The author came across like a New York Times editorial page contributor - he seemed unduly proud of having discovered the thoroughly unoriginal notion that government officials and large-scale businesses look out for each other (with demonization focused on the business side, of course).

I don't get tired of reading about the manner in which railroads transformed societies worldwide, and I was hoping the book would be interesting in that direction.

But no.