There's a clip of Bugs Bunny sawing Florida off the continent, and it pops up on the internet whenever we see an alligator attack, a looney criminal case, or blatant political shenanigans there. Sociologist and longtime resident James Wright reveals how the weirdness of Florida is actually built in—after all, uncharted swampland didn't just turn into suburban sprawl without violent colonization, land scams foisting off undeveloped property, and railroads built at the whim of a hotel magnate. Even Florida citrus originated in China, and where else can you "keep what you kill" on the highway? Yet everyone comes to Florida (only 36 percent of residents are native), and Wright shows why, in a book crammed with history and hilarity.