A review by eowyns_helmet
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne

5.0

Really enjoyed this. The level of detail makes such a convincing case about the real tensions, misunderstandings, and geopolitics of the encounter between Mexico, the Comanche, and white immigrant settlers. Gwynne describes the Comanche as American Scythians or Mongols or Magyars, and the analogy helps place them as a formidable people. But a number of factors, among them the development of new, pre-loaded guns as well as a taste for genocide among Tejanos, helps explain their rapid downfall. Highly recommend.