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[This is the first of many finalists in the book review contest. It\u2019s not by me - it\u2019s by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done, to prevent their identity from influencing your decisions. I\u2019ll be posting about two of these a week for the next few months. When you\u2019ve read all of them, I\u2019ll ask you to vote for your favorite, so remember which ones you liked. The broken footnotes in this one are either my fault or Substack\u2019s, so please don\u2019t hold it against this entry. Oh, and I promise not all of them are this long. - SA]

Shasta County, northern California, is a rural area home to many cattle ranchers.1\xa0It has an unusual legal feature: its rangeland can be designated as either\xa0open\xa0or\xa0closed. (Most places in the country pick one or the other.) The county board of supervisors has the power to close range, but not to open it. When a range closure petition is circulated, the cattlemen have strong opinions about it. They like their range open.

If you ask why, they\u2019ll tell you it\u2019s because of what happens if a motorist hits one of their herd. In open range, the driver should have been more careful; \u201cthe motorist buys the cow\u201d. In closed range, the rancher should have been sure to fence his animals in; he compensates the motorist.