The Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West - Hardcover

Blakeslee, Nate

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1786073129 ISBN 13: 9781786073129

Publisher: Oneworld Publications, 2017

Synopsis

A New Statesman Book of the Year`All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drivel.' - Margaret AtwoodThe wolf stands at the forefront of the debate about our impact on the natural world., In one of the most celebrated successes of modern conservation, it has been reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. What unfurls here is a riveting multi-generational saga, at the centre of which is O-Six, a charismatic alpha female beloved by park rangers and amateur spotters alike. As elk numbers decline and the wolf population rises, those committed to restoring an iconic landscape clash with those fighting for a vanishing way of life, hunters stalk the park fringes and O-Six's rivals seek to bring an end to her dominance of the stunningly beautiful Lamar Valley.

About this title

Review

‘Deeply informed yet fast-paced and deftly structured...What ultimately makes this book so satisfying is that it is as much an account of the deep divisions within contemporary America as it is a tale about the world’s most enduring carnivore.' 

(New Statesman)

‘Weaves together three narratives in one superb book...Blakeslee’s triumph is to tell all three stories with deep sympathy and insight.’

(New Statesman, Books of the Year)

‘Blakeslee draws O-Six in novelistic...detail, using the conflicting insight and perspective of biologists, politicians, ranchers, environmentalists, lawyers, other animals, and hunters... Seeing a wolf is exceptionally rare, and this book is as close as most readers will come.’

(The New Yorker)

‘Inspired by the most charismatic of animals, this is a story of dedication and determination, of conflict and passion and like all good stories it challenges your thoughts and fires up your emotions.’

(Kate Humble)

‘Extraordinary...Blakeslee is a fine writer...Chilling and gripping by turns. The Wolf is a book that should be read, with care.’

(The National)

‘The story of one wolf’s struggle to survive in the majestic Yellowstone National Park offers an ambitious look through the eyes of an endangered animal.’

(New York Times Book Review)

‘The lives of the wolves in Yellowstone are often dramatic, but are full of touching, tender moments too, as Nate Blakeslee vividly writes in The Wolf.’

(Los Angeles Times)

‘Gripping and fascinating! Wolf vs wolf, wolf vs man, man vs man.’

(Margaret Atwood (via Twitter))

‘Heartbreaking front-line coverage of our war on the wild... Blakeslee, hauntingly, gives the victims faces, families and stories. A quietly angry, aching, important book.’

(Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast)

‘A compelling environmental drama of the reintroduction of wolves to the Rockies, as clear-sighted on human politics as it is on wolf politics. As wolf packs battle one another for control of precious territory, unknown to them another battle is taking place, between the wolves’ supporters and those who would eradicate them.’

(Neil Ansell, author of Deep Country: Five Years in the Welsh Hills)

About the Author

Nate Blakeslee is a writer-at-large for Texas Monthly. His first book, Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town, was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2005 and The Washington Post called it one of the most important books about wrongful convictions ever written. He lives with his family in Austin, Texas.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1786073129
• ISBN 13: 9781786073129
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320