American Wolf
Ratings7
Average rating4.7
15
Ratings7
Average rating4.7
The story of the rise of a Yellowstone wolf, and what her life and death and death tell us about the struggle for the American West. --
"The enthralling story of the rise and reign of O-Six, the celebrated Yellowstone wolf, and the people who loved or feared her. Before men ruled the earth, there were wolves. Once abundant in North America, these majestic creatures were hunted to near extinction in the lower 48 states by the 1920s. But in recent decades, conservationists have brought wolves back to the Rockies, igniting a battle over the very soul of the West. With novelistic detail, Nate Blakeslee tells the gripping story of one of these wolves, O-Six, a charismatic alpha female named for the year of her birth. Uncommonly powerful, with gray fur and faint black ovals around each eye, O-Six is a kind and merciful leader, a fiercely intelligent fighter, and a doting mother. She is beloved by wolf watchers, particularly renowned naturalist Rick McIntyre, and becomes something of a social media star, with followers around the world. But as she raises her pups and protects her pack, O-Six is challenged on all fronts: by hunters, who compete with wolves for the elk they both prize; by cattle ranchers who are losing livestock and have the ear of politicians; and by other Yellowstone wolves who are vying for control of the park's stunningly beautiful Lamar Valley. These forces collide in American Wolf, a riveting multigenerational saga of hardship and triumph that tells a larger story about the ongoing cultural clash in the West--between those fighting for a vanishing way of life and those committed to restoring one of the country's most iconic landscapes."--Jacket.
Reviews with the most likes.
4.5 stars. Thoroughly enjoyed this - the lush, wild landscapes, the complex nature of wolf packs and territoriality, and the high political drama over ranching, hunting, and public vs. private spaces.
You are learning to be a Master Naturalist.
You are writing a book about your summer in Yellowstone Park.
You recently read White Fang for your Classics Club challenge.
Your husband tells you about a book he heard about on tv.
Your online book group is reading the book.
Sometimes the universe sends it all out there to you, and you feel compelled to pick up a book you thought you had no interest in. I thought I had no interest in wolves. I do now.
American Wolf is the story of O-six, a fascinating alpha female wolf who grew, with cult status, to be the world's favorite wolf via a group of wolf watchers in Yellowstone Park. Nate Blakeslee, in telling O-six's story, meshes in the stories of the return of wolves to Yellowstone, the fury of hunters and ranchers in neighboring states about the wolves' return, the lives of the wolf watchers, the wolf packs of Yellowstone, and the adventures of O-six's family and friends and enemies.
I can't seem to stop talking about this book. I hope you will take a look at it. Whether you think you like wolves or not, you may find this, as I did, to be one of the best books you have read this year.
