The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone

By Thomas McNamee

Book Overview

Early In This Century, U.S. government agents trapped, poisoned, or shot every wolf they could track down in and around Yellowstone National Park. By 1926, not one wolf was left alive. After generations of struggle between the wolf's friends and foes, the wolf was returned to Yellowstone in January of 1995. Thomas McNamee chronicles the drama of the reintroduction, the political machinations behind it, and the harrowing details of the wolves' own lives. In his telling, it is easy to see why this saga has stirred the imagination of a nation.P>Suspenseful and often poetic....McNamee puts us into the scientists' spotter planes and behind their binoculars during the wolves' critical first spring in Yellowstone. -- Los Angeles TimesAn informed account of the reconstitution of wolf packs, by a writer who can sympathize with lovers and haters of wolves. -- The New York Times Book Review

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805031014
• ISBN13: 9780805031010
• Release Date: May 1997
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Length: 354 Pages
• Weight: 1.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.0" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

A fresh perspective on wolves

Residents this reason have heard lots about wolves, but Thomas McNamee brings a fresh perspective to the story. He was a part-time rancher himself while writing this captivating book, but was also drawn to the wolves more deeply than he had first realized.McNamee himself is a character in this book, giving it an inviting and personal air, but does not force his views on the reader. He shows the reader a federal wildlife agent tracking a wolf-killer outside of Red Lodge and even opens the window on curious rivalries and tensions between agencies involved in various chapters of the wolf story. Parts of the book are almost dramatic in their intensity, while others slow the pace as the wolves romp and play.

A smooth reading, funny yet informative book.

I have been studying the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone for some time, yet this book not only gave me tons of new information it also made the information palatable by bringing with it humor and wit. Mr McNamee has an insiders view, being both a rancher and a wolf lover. Few people could see through both seta of eyes as clearly as he does, yet he makes it seem so easy. If you are to pick one book about the wolves of Yellowstone to teach you as much as possible I recommend this book to you. I do feel like he rushes details at the end of the book, but since the saga is not over, the book was hard to finish I suppose. Other than that small detail this is a great book with lots of facts and easy, witty, reading. Enjoy

A compelling read

Thomas McNamee is a passionate writer as well as a consummate naturalist, and what he has done in this book is a remarkable feat; to tell the story of the Yellowstone wolves from the perspective of a denizen of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem/one who owns a ranch within the wolves' new domaine/and an enrivro who questions his own, in addition to other's, emotional involvement with the issues raised by the their re-introduction. To do this all in a book as readable as this one is is a great feat. If you love the West, love Nature, or just want a surprisingly suspenseful story of the animals survival, the political and social implications of the wolf and, by extension, the ideals of the Endangered Species Act, you must read this book -- You won't be disappointed. It's a personal journey with implications for all of us who care about the imperiled natural world.

A compelling story of enviro issues, politics and nature.

A compelling story of how the wolves finally came back to Yellowstone. A natural history story about these fascinating animals. A political story about misinformation, disimformation, political infighting, even major splits in the environmental community. The book reads like a novel. I highly recommend it.

Great Book

A well writtin and extremely interesting book!!! If you love wildlife and the outdoors this is one success story that makes you believe maybe restoration can occur