Wyoming Books

Often portrayed as uniformly monochromatic, the West in Craig Johnson's second novel is refreshingly multi-cultural. As Sheriff Walt Longmire discovers, an old woman's murder grows from her Basque culture and the solution is part of her youth.

Like The Cold Dish, Death Without Company has a wealth of engaging characters beginning with Sheriff Longmire himself. Sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming, Longmire is looking toward retirement and is grooming both the county and his foulmouthed female deputy, Victoria Moretti, to succeed him. Signals are strong that Vic has more than professional regard for her boss, and that regard adds to the suspense in the novel.

Longmire's own regard for his mentor and former boss, Lucian Connolly, also heightens suspense as he begins to focus on Connolly's previous relationship with the victim and her family.

The friendship of Longmire with his lifelong friend Henry Standing Bear, a Cheyenne, is strained from time to time. Even as long as they have known each other, occasional stumbling blocks arise from their cultural differences.

All of these relationships add to the enjoyment and the suspense of the novel, and in the end unraveling them helps Longmire solve the mystery.

A very well-written, intriguing, and suspenseful mystery. Unputdownable!

(In my view a 5-star work of fiction must rise to the level of literature, and for an example of that, please look at The March by E L Doctorow.)

I can't count the number of times I've fallen in love with a writer's first novel only to lose all that ardor on subsequent outings. Sometimes a writer really does put it all in that first great effort, never to be repeated. I was relieved and delighted to find that Death without Company is every bit as great as Craig Johnson's debut novel The Cold Dish. Johnson's talent is genuine and, as a native of Wyoming, I feel he is true to the people, countryside, and winter weather (!) of this great state. He builds his stories around the fictional county of Absaroka, which is peopled by characters for whom we all have equivalents in our lives; they just jump off the page.

In this book, Sheriff Longmire is concerned with a nursing home death that may not be accidental and decades-ago spousal abuse that may or may not be driving events in the modern day. Accompanied by his best friend, the intellectually superior (and certainly not sidekick) Henry Standing Bear, Longmire takes on his former boss, his prickly staff, and a promising newcomer, Santiago Saizarbitoria, who is a candidate for the open deputy slot on Longmire's staff. There are two mysteries at the heart of this book and Johnson skillfully guides us until they are woven together. He also introduces an epic and realistic winter storm to serve both as complication and glue for the story. This is a good read and a worthy follow-on to The Cold Dish.

The Margin
I prefer hard-nose police procedurals and spy stories, but I've become a fan of Craig Johnson's writing. The plot in DEATH WITHOUT COMPANY is complicated, just the way I like it. The characters well developed. A touch of humor and a literary skill absent from most mysteries.
It begins with the death of woman living out her remaining years in an assisted living center. Here is where it gets complicated and mysterious. Clues point to Sheriff Longmire's friend and mentor, a former sheriff himself.
Johnson's knowledge of Native American customs and lore add depth and a richness to the novel as Longmire and his foul mouthed deputy work through one lead after another.

Marvin Wiebener, author of The Margin

I can't remember when I have enjoyed a book more!! Great characters and story line.

...But I found this book nevertheless to be slow and boring. I don't know what it is. The characters are interesting and well-developed. The plot was a little complicated, but good. The writing was deft, almost lyrical at times. Humorous in a few spots, also. But, for me, it just didn't catch fire. Things moved too slowly. I found Johnson's writing style a little affected. Although I enjoyed the book, it wasn't by much. Though his second book, it's my first. I'll try the other book, but all things considered, I'm just gonna give this one three stars. I prefer C.J. Box, when it comes to writing about Wyoming.

I love the cadence of this book, a good read! I enjoyed his journey with various horses and his life. I recommend this book, not as a guide to training, just as a trainer's story.

Pretty good story,too bad I found out from this book that Buck was the horse technical advisor on the the movie The Horse Whisperer. That movie was another awful Hollywood misrepresentation and misleading work on horses and horse training. It's a shame that a real horseman like Buck could be a part of such garbage. Maybe someday Hollywood and a real horseman will get together to make a movie that shows the real nature of horses and horsemanship.

One of the most insiring books about Natural Horsemanship and any instructor that I have ever read. I wish I had read it before I took a clinic with Buck. I most certainly will continue to Study with him when ever possible and with the instructors he has taught. Ricky Quinn & Paul Dietz
Thank you Buck for all that you are and all that you do for us and our Horses we love and revere so very much.
Donna Petermann
Gilbert Arizona

This book arrived in less than 1 week, in new condition. I am very happy with the service as advertised. I was given a copy of this book and have passed it along to several friends, who in turn, have passed it along until it was worn out. Quite a story and man.
JD

Buck invites us on a journey of his life that is less than perfect and yet terribly intriguing. His honesty is refreshing and his story is not tainted by the misgivings of others. This book demonstrates his desire to overcome a difficult childhood, his love of horses, and his compassion for all. He is certainly not a "Hollywood cowboy," though his skills have brought him into unintended notoriety. Inspiring for all horse lovers.

This is my first novel by Kathleen Eagle. I'm not much into 'horse stories' but I found this one informative and engaging. It was a bit slow for me in the middle but I didn't lose interest. The characters were interesting and varied. I am curious if there is a sequel to pick up on Julia's sister, Dawn in her post-Roger phase but I couldn't find evidence of one. It would also be fun to see how some of the boys fared after their exposure to Julia and K.C.'s influence.

This is one of those books that quickly become an old time favorite. A book you come back to again and again; each time finding something new and heartfelt. Ms Eagle develops the story in a slow leisurely pace that reminds one of lazy summers. Through her description of the Wyoming and the wild horse, the story comes to live, making one want to take a trip to see it for themselves. The characters are both human and complex; they are developed in a way that allows you to understand and sympathize with each person's insecurities. If you never read Ms Eagle before, this would be a great novel with which to start.

This was a great novel. From the very beginning I couldn't put it down. The Last True Cowboy has a great story and full interesting characters. I wanted to read slow and make it last, but I couldn't stand waiting to see what happened next. It's a novel you can truly get into.

I had such high hopes for this book based on the reviews but it wasn't very thrilling in my opinion. This was a true romance book in the sense that there's no mystery or a "bad guy" or much adventure. K.C. & Julia gave me many laughs & I enjoyed their falling for one another but other than that there just wasn't any excitement for me. No cliffhangers or suspense. I just would've liked a little something more mixed in with the romance. Overall I'd say it's all right but nothing that I'll remember or care to read again.

Kathleen Eagle is one of my all-time favorite authors, but "The Last True Cowboy" just didn't deliver. Much as I hate to admit it, I agree with the reviewer who found the plot weak and the swaggering, beer-drinkin', boot-stompin' cowboy bit a little too cliche and overdone.

Though K.C. Houston mentions on two or three occasions that he's got some Indian heritage, American Indian life, itself, plays no part in this novel. Of course, I don't mean to put Ms. Eagle in a box, but her vast knowledge and love of American Indian heritage gives her storytelling a very rich, almost spell-binding appeal that I found I sorely missed in "The Last True Cowboy."

I did enjoy the descriptions of the wild mustangs, but the characters of K.C., Julia, Dawn, Sally, Vern, etc., just didn't pull me in the way Ms. Eagle's novels usually do. I couldn't wait to finish it so I could get started on the other Eagle novel I recently purchased.

Great story, continuing refinement of series characters, even handed treatment of the pros and cons of various government regulations. A thinking mans western.

I liked all of the Joe Pickett series which I have read so far, and I have read the first four novels. I have ordered and received four additional volumes, and I'm enjoying the second book received, which is the fourth in the series. My cousin turned me on to this particular author by giving me the first two books in the series, and I pass them along to a friend when I finish reading them and he is also enjoying the series.

The Jackson Hole setting provides Joe Pickett with great heros, villains and background. I hope he can return to the Tetons again.

Discovered Box few months ago. I've never read an author who keeps the story moving along consistently with an exciting and absorbing pace Box creates a character with faults, feelings, and frailties. .

C J Box has scored again! Delightfully evil villains. Joe Pickett and his wife Mary Beth are well-developed protagonists. Fans who have read the previous books learn more about the couple's human failings, which make them even more sympathetic and admirable. Joe goes to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, as a replacement for a friend/co-worker who mysteriously committed suicide. It's immediately apparent that he's an anomaly among the rich, the arrogant and the avaricious. As usual Joe's reputation arrives before he does. The twists and turns again make this a book that will cost the reader a half night's sleep. At least, I was unable to put it down once I got past chapter 3.

I brought this book for my family RV trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton last month. It helped us plan our routes, learn bits of history and science, and pick camp sites. The mile markers and corresponding information bits were very useful as we stayed mostly on the grand loop. I highly recommend this book, particularly to first-time visitors.

At first my man thought it was stupid of me to purchase this book. I say at first because after he started to read it he said, "Hey that book you bought is really good!" Anyway we used it quite a bit while we were at Yellowstone and also Grand Teton National park as well. A great purchase and an item we will be sure to use many times in the future.

This book was amazing! I received it almost a month before I was going on a 5 day adventure to Yellowstone. I planned my whole trip using this book and it was amazing the things I saw and learned. Yellowstone has little sign's that will point you in the right direction but this book sent you places that most people have never seen! While out on my adventure I showed and recommended the book to many people. They were all amazed at the things in this book and went right to the Yellowstone bookstore and purchased it. I found that 5 days was not enough to view everything in this book and Yellowstone.

I am one of those people that like to know everything about a place before I go and I'm just sorry that this was not the first book I bought.
If it had been the first book I bought I wouldn't have needed any others.
Great maps. Great descriptions. I can't say enough good things about this book.

I highly recommend this book. This author provides great history along with useful information in enjoying the park. There is a logical division of areas within the park and she references you to the next map(location) at the end of each discussion. It is an easy to use reference. She gives information about the surrounding towns and immediate areas outside of each park entrance which decreases the need for additional guide books. I highly recommend this book.

I'm using this book this semester in my Intro to GLBTQ Studies course. I speed read it this summer, ordered it for my students, and now have just re-read it. I was moved to tears by Loffreda's quiet argument and refusal of simple, pop-psych explanations. Her writing challenges both gays and straights, and the arguments many use to explain Matt Shepard's murder as a function of Wyoming's benighted 'culture of hate.' It's a wonderful book that I look forward to assigning, and reading, again. Thanks Beth!

I was disappointed. Having heard that the writer, an English professor, had approached her project like a reporter--that she had interviewed Laramie townspeople and M.S.'s fellow students and had quoted them extensively--I was hoping that the town and campus would come alive on the page, like they would in the hands of a good novelist. Doesn't happen. All the voices she quotes sound interchangeable (the quotes sound cleaned up), and the characterizations are watery, indistinct. She's no Janet Malcolm. The other weakness is the author's prissy, scolding tone, in which she appears, annoyingly, every few paragraphs, invariably announcing her appearance with "It seemed to me..." constructions, all of which end with her officiously correcting some misconception that has seized (a) the people of Laramie, or (b) the people outside of Laramie. All of which would be tolerable if she had anything genuinely original to say. But she didn't. It's the same tired postmodern, deconstructionist-era, gender/sexuality-is-a-social-construction rap you've heard a million times.

Having been a student in Laramie and enjoying Dr. Loffreda as a favorite professor, I knew I might struggle to look at this book with an objective, critical eye. I think that I was successful, and still I couldn't put it down. Though people talk about Matt Shepard's murder around here regularly, I learned a great deal from this piece, besides being quite moved as well. One reviewer on here says she doesn't tackle the "hard questions." Well, to do so would probably have been rather presumptuous and ultimately impossible. The community and even the nation still struggles to answer, or even articulate, those hard questions. So Loffreda is wise to stick to the facts, yet infused with genuine emotion and testimony from those involved directly and peripherally. Her discussions of the political repercussions is incredibly illuminating and thought-provoking, and I think this is (and should be) the book's primary aim. Sometimes it is difficult to read, but only emotionally. Loffreda's eloquent but never flowery prose makes it otherwise a great reading experience.

Like "The Laramie Project", this book is about Laramie, and the larger society of the prairie and mountain West of Noorth America. It is not a biography of Matthew Shepard, nor is it remotely intended to be. That reflects a deliberate decision to respect not only his privacy, but also that of a lot of his friends and relatives who have wanted to keep their memories of Matt to themselves. This can be debated: in the end Romaine patterson and Judy Shepard have thought they do him a better service by trying to tell what he was like as a man, so that he doesn't get lost in various agendas requiring him to be either a plaster saint, or a irresponsible adventurer if not worse).

Either approach will attract its critics. However, as a biographical matter, there is something which must be faced. Matt Shepard was a Westerner of Wyoming, and it was home to him. He wasn't the one out of place in Laramie. Without some understanding of that community and region, you will not understand him.

As a Westerner, although from a very different part of it, I very much appreciated this book. Beth Loffreda is a newcomer, but, unlike many, has spent the time to know and understand the Prairie/Mountain West, without losing a proper objectivity. Its nuances and currents can be easily lost in the presence of stereotyping (something gays would know about), some f which is certainly designed to adavnce agendas of any all varieties. It is easy to idealize; it is easy to denounce. It is much more difficult to describe and understand. She does it very well.

I have seen it written elsewhere that the only two questions which matter are: 1) what happened to Matthew, and 2) what were the motives for his death? I suggest that this book gets us a lot further along towards answers to those questions than some critics might imagine.

If, indeed, it is to be argued that Matthew's fate arose because of some peuliarity of the place where he was killed, then that peculiarity should be assessed. Under examination, it's not an easy question to answer. Simple denunciations of "the usual suspects" doesn't work., and the ones which might matter lie more deeply than that. As far as I have been able to trace it, the answer seems to me to cut either way, It can be argued that there are things about the society which leave young men with no way to express themselves emotionally except in anger, esepcially where other males are concerned. Against this, there is a greater day-to-day tolerance for individuals who are recognized as contributing to the community, whatever unpopular thing they may be or think. That community mya have the habit of overestimating its tolerance (and I think that's a fair criticism of the place), but it has its own reality. Matthew himself, a son of that area, had attained his own position there before going to Switzerland, and showed eveery sign of resuming it when his life was cut short.

As to the motivations of his killers, it has to be said that neither of them posess enough insight or understanding of themselves ever to give us a proper explanation. That doesn't lie within their limited abilities. If we are going to find anythinh more than our own suppositions and yes) prejudices, we'll have to try and find it in their communities.

This book is well worth whatever you need to do to read it.

Those looking for a journalistic treatment of this subject, exposing sensational details and vivid personalities, will be disappointed in this book. It is an even-handed, somewhat reserved reflection on the events that swept the people of Laramie, Wyoming, into the national spotlight when Matt Shepard was murdered in October 1998. While there are several themes in the book, the chief one is the hysteria of the national media, which transformed the story of a young man's beating and death into a horrific hate crime, with all the over-simplification, instant analysis, and easy generalizations of highly competitive news organizations. Understanding the vast complexity of the social context that the murder emerged from and its meaning in terms of the people who make up the fabric of that community have been left for more thoughtful observers, writers and thinkers like the author, who can with greater knowledge, sensitivity, and analytical abilities address the central question, what REALLY happened?

Given the polarizing issue of sexual orientation, it's easy for readers to fault Loffreda for her refusal to reduce the subject to a black-and-white matter of homophobia. She makes an interesting argument about hate crimes, using Matt's murder as a way to show that the notion of a crime motivated purely by hate is an abstraction, and what really motivated this murder was a whole tapestry of motives having to do with social class, intent to rob, upbringing, a macho culture, and a depressed social and economic environment. If you boil it down to anything, what seems to be at the root of the crime is a simple wish to bully, intimidate, and victimize someone perceived as weaker. Where is the hate and where is the bias in all this, she wonders. It's there, yes, but so is much else that can't be addressed by labeling it as a bias crime.

Much of the book is also an attempt to represent the distinctive "lifestyle" of gay men and women living in a rural, thinly populated state, where being "out" is not an option, and there is a generally held belief that homosexuality does not exist there. Involved as she is with the gay community in Laramie, the author is familiar with many gay men and women who appear in the pages of her book, each expressing varying responses to the murder of one of their own. What's instructive is that "gay community" is a misnomer here, where there essentially is none. There is little organization and few resources to make a difference either socially or politically. Instead, national organizations and their celebrity representatives swoop in to capitalize on Matt's murder in the interest of their own agendas, both pro- and anti-gay. Matt gets "lost" in many ways, and this is only one of them.

Loffreda does not set out to win back Matt Shepard, but she does a lot to recover Laramie itself. She reclaims a town in its own terms, not those of the media. While she struggles with residents' resistance to change and the inappropriateness of their responses (emphasizing emotion rather than action), she acknowledges a wide-spread decency, a feeling of remorse, and a genuine wish to overcome complacency. For the gay men and women of Laramie, not a lot changes. There is still fear and anger, to go along with invisibility. But there is also love of this place on the wind-swept prairie, and a belief that for all its drawbacks, this is home.

I recommend this book for its attempt to undo the damage done by the occupying army of the national media. In that respect, it makes an interesting companion to the film "Bowling for Columbine."

Annie Proulx continues her mastery of the short story.

In Fine Just the Way It Is: Wyoming Stories 3, Proulx once again gives us stories primarily taking place in or associated with Wyoming. Her characters are terribly human--warts and all--and her stories are typically blunt, to the point, and full of (sometimes brief) life.

But, as straightforward as her stories are with their plainspoken characters, Proulx also delivers stunningly beautiful narrative language when detailing landscapes, flora, and animal life. Some of her imagery literally astounded me it was so well crafted and provocative.

However, unlike previous Wyoming volumes, this addition to the series is far more brutal to its characters. Now Proulx has never occurred to me as a woman who gets overly sentimental about her creations, but I was surprised at the tragedies she forced her men and women to endure. That being said, she certainly did not cross the line into sensationalism; everything she threw at her characters was well within reality's parameters.

Well, for the most part.

I was especially happy that in three stories in particular, Proulx exits her normally grounded repertoire and gives us something bordering fantasy. Now, because it's Proulx, we're not talking Tolkien here, but two of her stories hilariously focus on the devil and the other, well, I don't want to spoil anything, but it features a sagebrush where mysterious disappearances persist. I think that with her particular style and sensibilities, calling them tall tales may be more appropriate than fantasy.

Consequently, I sensed a real sense of dark humor in these stories, and I loved it! While most of the stories were very serious in terms of subject matter, they all utilized a morose fun that--unless happening to us--demanded a chuckle or two.

All in all, this collection was a bit of a break from Proulx in terms of style, especially when read between the lines, but every bit as exquisitely written and enjoyable as past works.

Proulx's talent is unrelenting with each new work she releases.

~Scott William Foley, author of The Imagination's Provocation: Volume II

Dear Folks,
I have read all of Annie Proulx's books and it seems that this set of stories was just to grim for my taste. I love her writing, compostion of prose and word use. Usually I read with a dictionary close at hand. Perhaps I am just a whimp, but once in a while it would be nice to read one her stories and find what I would term a "happy" ending. I must be getting old and grumpy. I realize that she is writing about the old West and that is the way things happened, but my stomach just wasn't in it this time around.

I really love reading books by Annie Proulx. The words she uses and the structure of her sentences are so wonderful that, unlike most books, I actually read every word, apparently, unlike her editor. In the first paragraph, page 8 of Family Man we find RAY Forkenbrock "squinting against the slanting ice" - nice sentence. However, in the last paragraph of the same page I guess either Annie has decided to use the nickname ROY for RAY or someone didn't bother proofreading the segment. Nitpicking for sure, but when a book costs $25.00 you'd think some kind of care might be taken in getting the words right.

Annie Proulx's latest collection of stories from Wyoming, Fine Just The Way It Is, also includes two bits about Hell; Wyoming may be better than Hell, but just barely, and only because it is so much less populated. Hell, together with Satan and his sidekick Duane Fork, provide most of the humor in this collection. The other stories are heavy in misery but not overweight. Proulx has a perfect touch with the miserable truth about things: her skill with stories is that she is neither condescending towards her characters nor overdone for her readers. The pitch in all the stories is just about perfect, although the one piece set back in the time of a Native American buffalo hunt was steeped in bathos and pathos, as well as blood and tears.

The loveliest story in the collection, with its own rhythm, underlining harmony, and a final succinct coda is "Them Old Cowboy Songs". "Tits Up in A Ditch" is such pure misery I hate to say I liked it but I did. "Testimony of the Donkey" was well-laid and carefully built up and quietly moving, as if it were a real story told by someone to me at the kitchen table, Shipping News sugar and cream laden tea between us, and with a big question left at the end: illusion or reality?

Speaking of Shipping News, and I always do when I talk about Annie Proulx, it is one of the best novels I've ever read. These short stories keep my admiration for her fully stoked.
For more reviews check out[...]

This book is a mishmash of different story styles, and not all of them as successful as the author's trademark accounts of life in the American West (past and present). There are three good examples of that genre here, and they surely must mark the end of her affair with Wyoming. Her usual grimly comic vision, still harboring a bit of romance for far-flung places and people living on the margins, has gone "tits up in a ditch" in this third collection of her western stories.

What might have been tragic ironies that resonate in the heart, as we find them in "Brokeback Mountain," have now evolved into outright despair. Moments of joy are so fleeting they barely have a chance to live and breathe before they die in the face of bad luck and life's cruelties. It would be hard to find anywhere a portrayal of life on the frontier (then and now) that attempts more openly to reduce the myth of pioneer spirit to a living nightmare. Reading this book I was reminded of the Richard Avedon photos of the people of the West, beaten down and ravaged, barely hanging on to their dignity. This is an American West rarely found in fiction since Dorothy Scarborough's "The Wind." Not recommended for anybody whose heroes have always been cowboys.

Beyond being a great attorney his knowledge of native Americans and their ways is extremely touching. I found his book not only being fact to our true Americans but explaining the law of our land to a infinite position. The only statement I can think of was one I heard several years ago. "Our law, not perfect but the best we have doe's seem to keep America working. It is probably true.
Read Mr. Spence's novel you will not be sorry.

Every cliche imaginable is pasted together in this horrible first novel. If uber-lawyer Gerry Spence had dealt with things as they really are, instead of how he would like them to be, this third-rate book could have been second-rate. For example, Spence realizes more than anyone that most of his clients are guilty, so if he wanted to explore the ethical dimensions of the death penalty as he does here, avoidance of the "innocent man dying" myth would have been a plus. But to quibble with any one aspect of this [weak] attempt at fiction is to imply it could have been saved; it clearly was beyond repair.

The only reason Spence's first novel gets two stars instead of one is his colorful, textured description of the New West. Stick to reality, Gerry. From Freedom to Slavery was a masterpiece, and I hope you go back to what you know and do best.

This is the first thing I've read by Spence.To my great surprise it is one of the best novels I've ever read.I won't try to write a precis of the book,but will try to show why I liked it so much.Being an engineer,I like to analyse things, to see how and why they work;therefore not too attracted to who-done-its,fantasy,science fiction,etc.My favorite writers are Steinbeck,Erskine Caldwell,MCMurtry etc. who describe how things were and what was behind it all.That is the kind of book this is.
I grew up in a small town about the same size as Twin Buffs and know that it is the deep seated ideas of people that control the events that take place;both good and bad.
Spence brings to this novel a lifetime of living and working in this part of the country and particularly his knowledge and experience with the justice system and how it affects the Native Peoples.I have read a lot of books dealing with crime and justice as well as many about the people who have been pushed aside in society,but none that get to the root of these problems like Spence does.
Spence shows how injustice and prejudice is the root cause.As with Steinbeck and the migrants of the West,Caldwell with the racism and poverty of the Deep South;Spence shows the same thing with the Native Peoples of the West.
Can the deep seated ideas that have motivated people for many generations not be expected to influence them when they try to deal with situations that arise in their daily lives? To people who have been raised with Judaic-Christian values,Spence has shown what the Spirituality of the Native Peoples means.
As to the style of Spence's writing,I really enjoy his short chappters,46 in all,less than 10 pages per chapter.The other thing he does superbly is to almost instantly wrap things up.For example ;the end of the trial and verdict (two sentences at top of page 335,hard cover edition).Every word is important,well chosen and it never bogs down.This must be from his experience as a trial lawyer. His character development is so good that you feel you know each one and what makes them think.
Spence gives us some very profound thoughts,concisely expressed:
In small towns,when something is not talked about..
"-not lost from the minds of the people,but edited from their tongues."

"It's a waste of time,cottonwood tree.Do not be so foolish as to bud."

"The coyote was not evil.The coyote was merely the coyote,also trapped in the system".

"If the Judges sought justice,they would convict the system,not the victims of the system."

"They cannot imprison me where I do not wish to be."

"The moons come and the moons go.The stars empty themselves and fill once more.Time is for white men.Time is their devil.The Araphoe knows no such devil."
For anyone who works in or deals with the justice system ,this book should be required reading.I couldn't imagine one that could give one more to think about.Not only that,anyone who wonders why people have so much trouble trying to live in peace,respect and harmony,would do well by reading this book.
Half-Moon and Empty Stars is a great novel,but it is much more than that.Spence is an excellent writer and well worth reading.I plan to read more of his works.

"Yon-ka-tore"

'

Anyone thinking of buying this book---don't. You will find better fiction in a D.C. or Marvel comic. I don't know what is being smoked by these reviewers, but it beats the heck out of the peyote they apparently have in Wyoming.

Gerry Spence, known mostly for his hard-edged, frontier approaches to some of the most famous court cases of our time, proves that he can write excellent fiction as well.

Half-Moon and Empty Stars was well written, entertaining and provocative. Spence approaches a controversial subject that needs airing. Not just a western story, Spence's novel addresses the plight of Native Americans and their unwarranted reputation as being lazy, good-for-nothing liars.

Besides, all students of western lore are painfully aware of the fact that it was the white men who had trouble telling the truth and sticking to their promises. In that vein this book might be an irritating wake up call to any who might believe that Native Americans have gotten what they deserve.

As noted in my subject line, the writing is superb and would stand up in favorable comparison to the works of Louis L'Amour, John Grisham and Larry McMurtry. In Spence's case he seems to bring the best of all three under one cover and Abner Hill, Spence's heroic cowboy lawyer in Half-Moon and Empty Stars, stands up nicely to all comers in any other work of western fiction.

I'm waiting for the movie!

Douglas McAllister

Jordan's book was much more than ranching and her life, she tells us about her feelings and thoughts that are associated with her life events. The reader becomes indulged in her feelings are can feel empathy for her. This book is a down to earth, real life story that is worthy of reading by most people.

I have really enjoyed this book. It's rare to get such an intimate view of ranch life, and especially of the women who made/make their lives out West. Teresa Jordan is a terrific writer. I admire her spare, evocative prose. This book should not be overlooked in the current craze for memoirs.

Reading Teresa Jordan's novel Riding the White Horse Home inevitably inspires a sense of regret and loss. Throughout her portrayal of the rugged untamed wilds of Iron Mountain Wyoming and its people, she paints a vivid picture of a culture and a way of life that has all but died out. Using her own personal experiences with her friends and family, she shows the reader what ranch life was like. Her detail and imagery is superb as she takes her acquaintances one by one, chapter by chapter, and tells us their story. We learn of Sunny the grandfather who took pride in his way of life, of her mother who loves her yet is hard to understand, of her friend Kelley and how their kind are not socially accepted today, her small local wedding, childhood experiences, and more. She shows us the stark differences between ranch culture and the culture of progress. We see the unspoken rules and laws of her people and their stoicism. We come to admire their discipline and stubbornness, their ethic and devotion. And we feel the same sense of loss that Teresa must have felt as this way of life slowly drifted away. For me, it was this central message of the book that was most touching. As someone who grew up in and frequently visits Idaho, I can at least partly relate to her sadness at the change. Like her, I feel an odd sense of pride whenever anyone speaks with disdain of the old fashioned methods of my state. I enthusiastically tell all my friends the Idaho state motto; "Idaho IS, what America WAS." This is the way that Jordan displays the ranch life. She shows an honor and pride that has since been lost to the world. Her people respected hard work over hard cash, and took satisfaction from their endless labor. Despite crop failures, drought, loss of livestock, and tiring years with no seeming gain, they trudge on, unbending. My own father is much like this, taking a job that pays much less then his previous one because it gives him more satisfaction. The power of her story comes through in its reality--we are made to see through her eyes, and with this new perspective come to love the land and people as she does. We mourn with her the loss of tradition and see the beauty in the harsh terrain of Wyoming. Although it is not written chronologically, the reader can easily see the transition from family owned ranches to modern technology. Each chapter is devoted to one of her family or friends and we learn of them in detail. Jordan expertly takes us into her life and experiences. We see her fierce love for her family and the kind of relationships that they have together. At college when her mother dies, she decides to come home and immerse herself in ranch life as she remembers their connections. She talks of how much she learned from her great grandmother, and of how much she didn't see. The reader learns the trials of ranch life--calving in all its messy glory, getting mauled by bulls, fighting against the land. Her story becomes to the reader representative of the lives of all ranchers, and we come to feel a connection of our own with this unique people. There is sadness at her shame when she goes to school as a child--her people are not accepted there. Her style is frank and open, and her honesty makes her words that much clearer. She tells it like it was. For those who love to farm and for those who are content in their cozy heated homes, this is a wonderful book. It inspires the reader to change his ideals--we come to value work and stoicism like a true rancher. It makes us appreciate our loved ones more, and we realize just how much we take for granted. Teresa Jordan has taken her life and set it out before us, and we should not pass up the opportunity to learn from it.

I thought, "This will be a nice distraction." Boy, did I underestimate this book. Ms. Jordan takes you with her through her life and her relatives' lives. You feel the draw of the west and the power of the Wyoming wind. Getting caught up in the struggles of the various generations, and Ms. Jordan's, sheds light on your own life. As Ms. Jordan heals, the opportunity to resolve one's own conflicts seems more possible. This is a wonderful escape and marvelous therapy all rolled into one.

There's a growing literature of memoirs written by women who grew up on ranches, and this is a fine addition to it. Jordan tells of her family, who for four generations raised cattle in southeast Wyoming, north of Laramie and Cheyenne. With some irony, it was more circumstance than a love of ranching that kept the Jordans on the land, until the author's father sold the home place in the 1970s. But the love of that spot on earth lives on strongly in the author, and her book is a tribute to it and to her family who toiled there through good years and bad.

She clearly admires the men who labored on horseback raising cattle, devoting chapters to her grandfather, her father, and the many foremen and ranch hands who worked for them. Fully engaging, too, are her memories of the women and the imprint they have made on herself. Three portraits in particular stand out: her mother, Jo, with a warm, generous, and independent spirit, who died suddenly at an early age; her great aunt Marie, who loved her horses and dogs like the children she never had, and lived happily together with her husband and her husband's best friend; and finally her grandmother Effie, a puzzlingly bitter woman whose wishes for a full life seem to have been frustrated from girlhood because of her gender and social limitations.

There's much in this book to commend it, including a chapter devoted to the calving season and another describing the physically punishing nature of ranch work. Her chapter on her great aunt Marie includes excerpts from her journals, and each chapter is introduced with a photograph from the family album. The book closes with a description of the author's wedding at the community center near where she grew up, an idyllic day poignant for its wholehearted celebration of a way of community life that is rapidly vanishing.

I recommend this book to readers interested in the West, ranching, family memoirs, and personal journeys. Also recommended: Mary Clearman Blew's "All But the Waltz," Linda Hasselstrom's "Windbreak," and Judy Blunt's "Breaking Clean."

they won't be there very long if Bush has his way. he's imposing a new rule to slaughter all the wolves in the park because of a few disgruntled ranchers.

check it out for all the info: http://www.nrdcactionfund.org/campaigns/wildlife/save-endangered-gray-wolves.html

This is a well written combination of scientific discussion of the effect of first 10 years of the return of wolves to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and amazing stories of individual wolves. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the effect of restoring the full compliment of species to an ecosystem. It is easily approchable by the average non-scientist reader.

I have read over 40 books about wolves over 35 years and this one stands out as one of the very best.

The book has two main themes -- the life histories of individual wolves brought to Yellowstone and their packs, and what wildlife biologists actually do to accomplish a successful introduction and gather the histories of these wolves. Both these themes are covered very well in exceptionally graceful writing.

Missing intentionally is a blow by blow history of the political controversy surrounding the introduction, and I am glad for that -- the focus remains on the wolves and how they deal with the challenges they face. The political history has been covered in other books and is a fairly depressing story of people shouting at each other.

The authors ability to describe in remarkable detail on the histories of individual wolves and their packs was aided enormously by the radio collars the placed on select individuals and the high visibility of the wolves in Yellowstone. The picture that emerges is of an enormously rich, complex, dynamic and tough world. Surviving is a constant challenge for a wolf, even in this prey-rich environment, and few wolves make it past 4-5 years old, much younger than the lives of wolves in captivity.

Their is so much information about their behavior that the wolves emerge as distinct individuals with dramatically different personalities and styles. Packs develop unique cultures (e.g. hunting bison). The static alpha male - alpha female hierarchy so often described in other books turns out to be far more variable with much greater roles in some packs for the alpha female and non-alpha wolves.

The authors note how frequently the wolves' behavior continues to them, particularly social behavior. There are far more ways to organize and "run" a wolf pack then previously thought, and the complexity of the dynamics described resembles human social interactions to a remarkable degree.

There is a lot that can be learned even by well-read wolf enthusiasts from reading this book. Yet, for those who are just beginning to read about wolves, this book is a superb introduction to these animals that get more fascinating the more we know about them.

Those who enjoyed the insight into the life of a wildlife biologist in this book would no doubt also enjoy Craig Packer's Into Africa, an account of his work with the social histories of African lion prides.

This has to be the best book I have read in years about the Yellowstone National Park's reintroduction of the wolves. Entertaining and very educational. I highly advise anyone that would like to further there education on the history of the Yellowstone Wolves to read this book. It was pure enjoyment.

This book was a great read and, despite the rip-off for the CDN dollar by the publisher, I was very happy to recieve this in the mail. It made a good, informative and sweet read for those who love wildlife and wolves. The narrative isn`t borring or scientific which makes it easy to read. Of course there are a few things that bothered me while reading this.

Firstly, the people didn`t realy explore alternatives to wolves eating livestock, they just kind of shot them and didn`t take the responsibility to practice other non-lethal methods of controling wolves such as the use of guard dgs or deterrents. I was also looking forward to a lot more pictures of wolves, and while the ones in the book were beautiful, they were small and there were few. I really wish that the authors could have elaborated more about the indivdual wolves` that were the founders of Yellowstone`s packs. it seemed that just one peice of each wolf wasn`t enough to capture their intimate lives (and not enough pictures of the wolves themselves). If they ever re-do this book, hopefully more can be placed on pictures and what has happened to the wolves and their packs in yellowstone.