claudia_is_reading's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating, heartbreaking and hopeful, all at the same time.
This is a book that will give you a bit of everything: the way in which wolves' society works, the way in which Nature works, and the way in which people work. Guess which are the only ones that contradict themselves?
This is a book about the restoration of wolves in Yellowstone Park and the people who made it possible; the story is told through the story of a pack and a wolf in particular: O-Six . Her story is engaging and you can't help to admire her: her strength, her great leadership, her success as an alpha female...
When we read about her death we (well, I, at least) are devastated. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried. A lot. Because it's such a fucking waste! So bloody senseless, just so a man could feel powerful. What's wrong with that people? I get subsistence hunting, you are feeding your family, it is NOT a waste. But this? trophy hunting? I don't get it and never will.
That scene, with her pack surrounding her after the hunter killed her, her pack members howling... argh! At the end of the book, there is an interview with the man who killed her, and he is so proud *shakes head in incomprehension* He knows what he did, he knows that his shot affected more than just that particular wolf (just think about 21's las trek up the mountain) and yet, he keeps repeating he did nothing wrong. Which, legally, is even true. This means that the laws are wrong and sport hunting must be stopped. At least so close to the protected zones.
So, people, just stop, okay? Stop hunting for 'fun'. Stop hunting for trophies. Go and buy yourself a nice sports car or whatever, but stop killing animals for your entertainment.
This is a book that will give you a bit of everything: the way in which wolves' society works, the way in which Nature works, and the way in which people work. Guess which are the only ones that contradict themselves?
This is a book about the restoration of wolves in Yellowstone Park and the people who made it possible; the story is told through the story of a pack and a wolf in particular: O-Six . Her story is engaging and you can't help to admire her: her strength, her great leadership, her success as an alpha female...
When we read about her death we (well, I, at least) are devastated. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried. A lot. Because it's such a fucking waste! So bloody senseless, just so a man could feel powerful. What's wrong with that people? I get subsistence hunting, you are feeding your family, it is NOT a waste. But this? trophy hunting? I don't get it and never will.
That scene, with her pack surrounding her after the hunter killed her, her pack members howling... argh! At the end of the book, there is an interview with the man who killed her, and he is so proud *shakes head in incomprehension* He knows what he did, he knows that his shot affected more than just that particular wolf (just think about 21's las trek up the mountain) and yet, he keeps repeating he did nothing wrong. Which, legally, is even true. This means that the laws are wrong and sport hunting must be stopped. At least so close to the protected zones.
So, people, just stop, okay? Stop hunting for 'fun'. Stop hunting for trophies. Go and buy yourself a nice sports car or whatever, but stop killing animals for your entertainment.
tnsbandgeek's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
hpeerboom's review
4.0
I didn’t realize the effect this book was having on me until about three-quarters of the way through, when I burst into tears. I’ve always wanted to visit Yellowstone, but 0-6’s story made that want feel more like a need.
allisonbsk's review
5.0
What an interesting perspective on Yellowstone this book was! I loved reading about these animals, their stories, their lives, everything. They felt like family by the end of the book. And the politics/debate behind it all was very interesting as well- I had no idea. This book clearly falls on the wolf side of the story/debate (and their story does need telling, you find yourself rooting for them), but we do hear about the hunters and ranchers and their dealings with wolves, too, which just makes the story more rounded, adding to the complexity of the wolves' lives as well. Wonderfully written book overall!
mishat's review
3.0
It's a good and important book about the politics of wolf reintroduction and hunting, but I really never got into it. I was expecting more natural history about wolves, more biologists and animal behavioral studies, but that's not what this book is about at all. You never just get wolf behavior and biology, all you get is what some non-scientist wolf lovers on the side of the road are seeing and feeling-- it's always filtered through these wolf "watchers." And just so much anthropomorphism of the wolves, since that is how the watchers think about them. I also thought the presentation of the legal skirmishes was really boring (and I am a lawyer!) and really didn't convey where this all fits into the legal regime of endangered species management and protection. All that said, it's such an important story, and for people who know nothing about wolves or the debates over carnivores on public land, there is lots to learn here.