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drbatfcc's review against another edition
5.0
Rancher coverts from cattle to buffalo. Loved his writing. Great book!
bristlecone's review against another edition
3.0
Couldn't decide between 2.5 and 3 stars. It's important to make it clear up front that I enjoyed much of this book. I appreciated the author's efforts to adjust his ranching to return bison and repair the ecosystem. I appreciated the author's descriptions of the landscape and the discussion of the emotional toll taken by the stress of ranching. I also appreciated the author's discussion of trying to create meaning in his life --- a task I believe every person struggles with --- even if he did use the same self-aggrandizing ideas that he critiques in his cattle ranching neighbors.
On the other hand I was disappointed with the author's failure establish his credibility. He mentions being a wildlife biologist and makes a variety of claims about the differences in impact on the land between bison and cattle. Yet, he never offers a single citation. He asks the reader to just believe him. More importantly, he offers the reader no options for learning more about those dynamics to which he alludes.
I was also disappointed with the author's discussion of women on the Great Plains. This is a relatively minor part of the book, but is particularly abrasive because he interweaves the stories of men who have been left by women and then draws broad conclusions about all women on the Great Plains. He clearly works quite hard to appear judicious, but if he really wanted to understand the lives of women Great Plains, then he should have started by telling women's stories. He draws the conclusion that life on the plains is economically and environmentally hard, and thus women are a "scarce commodity". I'm not an expert on women on the Great Plains, but I know women who have lived their entire lives in ranching communities on the Great Plains and nearly married into a ranching family myself. Among the women that I know, the reasons that some have left have nothing to do with the harshness of the environment or the economic hardships of ranching. It is because they are treated as a commodity rather than a partner. The women who leave are the ones whose opinions and ideas are not consulted, and are not given the respect/authority/power to improve their lives other than to leave; the ones who are asked to keep a home, while riding out the economic roller coaster ride with their mouths shut; held captive to someone else's decisions. The women I know who are treated as full partners, who are valued for their contributions to the ranch, stay.
Despite his attempts to critique the culture of masculinity on the Great Plains, he tips his hand. He tells the story of one poor lonely man who would go to the local diner with his hired hands. This old man would always buy a pie to take home but would refuse to pay for it until the cute young waitress held his hand. The author then asks us to imagine if the waitress felt all of the tenderness and loneliness in those hands. Having been on the other side of such interactions, I can tell you that what the waitress most likely felt was annoyance that some man could demand physical contact with her before making his purchase --- like her job of serving food had also turned her physical touch into a commodity.
In total, I generally liked the book. My discontentment with some aspects are largely due to my desire for it to be something that it wasn't. I wanted it to either be more scientific about the return of bison to the Great Plains, or I wanted it to be a serious look at life on the Great Plains through the lens of one rancher's decision to start ranching bison. In the end, I enjoyed the book, but I felt like it was a weak compromise between the two things I would have preferred.
On the other hand I was disappointed with the author's failure establish his credibility. He mentions being a wildlife biologist and makes a variety of claims about the differences in impact on the land between bison and cattle. Yet, he never offers a single citation. He asks the reader to just believe him. More importantly, he offers the reader no options for learning more about those dynamics to which he alludes.
I was also disappointed with the author's discussion of women on the Great Plains. This is a relatively minor part of the book, but is particularly abrasive because he interweaves the stories of men who have been left by women and then draws broad conclusions about all women on the Great Plains. He clearly works quite hard to appear judicious, but if he really wanted to understand the lives of women Great Plains, then he should have started by telling women's stories. He draws the conclusion that life on the plains is economically and environmentally hard, and thus women are a "scarce commodity". I'm not an expert on women on the Great Plains, but I know women who have lived their entire lives in ranching communities on the Great Plains and nearly married into a ranching family myself. Among the women that I know, the reasons that some have left have nothing to do with the harshness of the environment or the economic hardships of ranching. It is because they are treated as a commodity rather than a partner. The women who leave are the ones whose opinions and ideas are not consulted, and are not given the respect/authority/power to improve their lives other than to leave; the ones who are asked to keep a home, while riding out the economic roller coaster ride with their mouths shut; held captive to someone else's decisions. The women I know who are treated as full partners, who are valued for their contributions to the ranch, stay.
Despite his attempts to critique the culture of masculinity on the Great Plains, he tips his hand. He tells the story of one poor lonely man who would go to the local diner with his hired hands. This old man would always buy a pie to take home but would refuse to pay for it until the cute young waitress held his hand. The author then asks us to imagine if the waitress felt all of the tenderness and loneliness in those hands. Having been on the other side of such interactions, I can tell you that what the waitress most likely felt was annoyance that some man could demand physical contact with her before making his purchase --- like her job of serving food had also turned her physical touch into a commodity.
In total, I generally liked the book. My discontentment with some aspects are largely due to my desire for it to be something that it wasn't. I wanted it to either be more scientific about the return of bison to the Great Plains, or I wanted it to be a serious look at life on the Great Plains through the lens of one rancher's decision to start ranching bison. In the end, I enjoyed the book, but I felt like it was a weak compromise between the two things I would have preferred.
larryerick's review against another edition
4.0
This is either a poignant, rather inspiring memoir of a person's search to give meaning to his life, or -- it's the longest. most sophisticated marketing brochure ever. I found myself comparing it favorably to Ivan Doig's sterling memoir, This House of Sky. Doig's memoir centers on his youth in Montana raising sheep, and this author's memoir is about his later adult life in South Dakota with bison, but the feeling of place and that deep connection with people and place is very similar, and, frankly, much appreciated by this reader. I am convinced that this is one of those rare books that both my wife and I would enjoy equally.
ja3m3's review against another edition
4.0
Buffalo for the Broken Heart is a memoir based on author Dan O’Brien’s decision to switch his South Dakota farm from primarily cattle stock to buffalo. As an environmentalist and a farmer O’Brien has always been concerned about the devastating impact that cattle and wheat farming have had on the Great Plains. In his memoir O’Brien chronicles the details of his life changing decision. After reading the book this city girl is confident that she can now put up a barbed wire fence in a snow storm and discuss intelligently the benefits of eating buffalo instead of beef.
Buffalo for the Broken Heart is a love song to the Great Plains. This book has such a sense of place that I felt the wind blowing in the prairie grass and could see the sun setting on the green pastures on every page. O’Brien has captured the raw beauty of life on a South Dakota farm.
If I have one quibble about the book it is that O’Brien comes across a little smug. But then why can’t he be smug if he’s helping restore a damaged ecosystem and creating a healthy food alternative for meat lovers. The book was written in 2001, so I checked out the web page mentioned in the book www.wildideabuffalo.com and was happy to see that they have grown and are prospering. We are also now on their mailing list. We just might be grilling buffalo burgers for our 4th of July cook out.
Buffalo for the Broken Heart is a love song to the Great Plains. This book has such a sense of place that I felt the wind blowing in the prairie grass and could see the sun setting on the green pastures on every page. O’Brien has captured the raw beauty of life on a South Dakota farm.
If I have one quibble about the book it is that O’Brien comes across a little smug. But then why can’t he be smug if he’s helping restore a damaged ecosystem and creating a healthy food alternative for meat lovers. The book was written in 2001, so I checked out the web page mentioned in the book www.wildideabuffalo.com and was happy to see that they have grown and are prospering. We are also now on their mailing list. We just might be grilling buffalo burgers for our 4th of July cook out.
cradman's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully crafted prose filled in many blanks in my understanding of rangeland ecosystems and the history of the Great Plains.
abbymunk's review against another edition
5.0
I’m slowly venturing into the world of narratives and this one was a great start for me, personally. O’Brien‘s writing broadened my perspectives as a South Dakotan interested in prairie restoration and sustainable game harvest. Life on the prairie ain’t easy.
michbenner's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
3.5
ann40's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
judetchi's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
The author strikes me as a really sensitive person, both because of his land preservation ethos and his poetic writing style. He is deeply critical of the way that farming and ranching are done, but can sense and describe the greys of people in a compassionate manner.
It got a tad bit repetitive by the very end and the afterword, but it was overall really enjoyable and educational to me. I liked the way that his thoughts unfolded along with the story. His descriptions of the grasslands, the animals and the people were always vivid and interesting.
It got a tad bit repetitive by the very end and the afterword, but it was overall really enjoyable and educational to me. I liked the way that his thoughts unfolded along with the story. His descriptions of the grasslands, the animals and the people were always vivid and interesting.