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Staff Pick
Take an intrepid wolf, put it in Yellowstone’s famous Lamar Valley, throw in a mix of conservationists, hunters, and ranchers, and you have the makings for an arresting story full of conflict, suspense, and heartbreak. Blakeslee’s beautifully written book may be nonfiction, but it reads like a novel. Recommended By Matt K. , Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Before men ruled the Earth, there were wolves. Once abundant in North America, these majestic creatures were hunted to near extinction 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. Award-winning author Nate Blakeslee tells the gripping story of one of these wolves, a charismatic alpha female named O-Six, in his poignant book American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West.
More than four million people visit Yellowstone each year, and wolves are one of the main attractions. Wolf advocates would like to see them remain on the endangered species list; opponents, especially professional hunting guides (whose clients compete with wolves for the elk they both prize) and cattle ranchers (who have lost livestock to wolves), would like to see a wolf-hunting season so that their numbers can be reduced. American Wolf is about these opposing forces, told through the lens of the life of one wolf, O-Six, whose own story became entangled in the political strife around her.
O-Six can arguably be called one of the most famous wild animals in our country. She was one of the most visible wolves in Yellowstone at a time when wolf-watching became a common pastime in the park. Beloved by wolf-watchers, particularly Yellowstone park ranger Rick McIntyre and former schoolteacher Laurie Lyman, both featured in the book, O-Six 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 and their professional guides; by cattle ranchers who are losing livestock and have the ear of politicians; and by other Yellowstone wolves who challenge her dominance of the stunningly beautiful Lamar Valley in the park’s mountainous Northern Range.
Nate Blakeslee became fascinated with wolves in the winter of 2008, after taking a wolf-watching class in Yellowstone. This is where he saw wolves in the wild for the first time. Drawing on interviews with McIntyre, and Lyman’s extensive wolf-watching diary (over 800,000 words), Blakeslee has recreated the true life story of a wild animal in unprecedented detail.
Fans of Helen Macdonald’s H Is for Hawk, John Vaillant’s The Tiger, Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, and anyone else who loves intimate, true stories of nature, obsession, and survival will be drawn to this riveting multigenerational wolf saga that tells a larger story about the clash of values in the West — and the nation as a whole.
Review
“Beautiful, detailed...[American Wolf] centers on the rise, reign, and family life of O-Six, matriarch of the Lamar Canyon pack and so well-known to park visitors that the New York Times gave her an obituary.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“Gripping and fascinating! Wolf versus wolf, wolf versus man, man versus man.” Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale and Hag-Seed (via Twitter)
Review
“Wild, poignant, and compelling, American Wolf is an important, beautifully wrought book about animals, about values, and about living on this earth.” Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief and Rin Tin Tin
Review
“With American Wolf, Nate Blakeslee gives us a very different sort of biography — the saga of a single female wolf, ‘the most famous wolf in the world,’ and her exploits in Yellowstone National Park. It’s a startlingly intimate portrait of the intricate, loving, human-like interrelationships that govern wolves in the wild, as observed in real time by a cadre of dedicated wolf-watchers — in the end, a drama of lupine love, care, and grief.” Erik Larson, author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake
Synopsis
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE 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.
About the Author
Nate Blakeslee is a writer-at-large for Texas Monthly. His first book, Tulia, was a finalist for the PEN/Martha Albrand Award and won the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, the Texas Institute of Letters nonfiction award, and was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2005. The Washington Post called it one of the most important books about wrongful convictions ever written. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his family.
Nate Blakeslee on PowellsBooks.Blog
The genesis of this book was a week-long wolf-watching class I took 10 years ago in Yellowstone National Park, which was the first time I saw wolves. I had never been to the park in the winter, and I was profoundly unprepared...
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