As much as I love wandering around bookstores, I’ve actually discovered the majority of my favorite books through specific recommendations from friends and acquaintances. Without a trusted personal endorsement, I would have never found many of my all-time favorites.
So, in an effort to encourage more book conversations, I send out a brief, bimonthly email in which I recommend several of the best books I’ve recently read. The topics are wide-ranging: heavy on history, biographies, adventure, ranching, conservation, and travel narratives, with a good mix of other predominately non-fiction subjects. Some titles will be familiar and others obscure, but the common theme is that I found them very interesting, entertaining, and worthy of a recommendation to my friends.
Keep in mind that this email is only related to book recommendations—no sales pitches, and of course, I won’t share your email address with anyone. Just one quick email every other month with a few high-quality recommendations.
2024 Recommendations
Past Recommendations
Other Book-Related Lists
10 Must Read Books About the American West, with Mark Kenyon
10 Books that Every Conservationist Should Read, with Mark Kenyon
18 Book Recs For My 18-Year-Old Self
Why Do You Read So Many Books?
15 Books That Will Give You Strength During Challenging Times
The 20 Most Influential Books I’ve Read in the Past 10 Years
A Reader’s Guide to the Lifework of Theodore Roosevelt
Innovators of the American West Book List
“How Do You Read So Many Books?”
Best Books on Farming – A Crowdsourced List
A Few of My Favorite Books About the West
in no particular order…
Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt’s American Wilderness by David Gessner – I’ve been eagerly anticipating this book’s publication for nearly three years, and I’m thrilled to report that it surpassed my lofty expectations. One of my all-time heroes (TR) gets the full literary treatment from one of my all-time favorite authors (Gessner), and the result is a unique and useful examination of TR’s influence on conservation, public lands, and the modern-day environmental movement. Gessner’s goal is to examine TR’s legacy clearly, warts and all. There’s no TR sugar-coating in this book—Gessner thoroughly acknowledges and investigates TR’s personal flaws and political failings, just as freely as he praises TR’s positive, seemingly superhuman traits. I’ve plowed through way too many books about TR over the years, and this is hands-down the most balanced, clear-eyed examination of the man I’ve read to date. But it’s not a biography or a straight-up history book, although there’s plenty of both within the pages. It’s a search to capture the best of TR’s conservation ethos, to discard the worst, and to use the balance to build a new, holistic model for conservation and environmental justice—one that melds together a new confluence of ideals that acknowledges the wrongs of the past and sets an equitable, sustainable course for the future.
Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West by Hampton Sides – Usually mainstream history books are either ridiculously dense or highly entertaining… but rarely both. Sides somehow manages to cram an overwhelming amount of information on Kit Carson, the settlement of the American West, the Navajos, and plenty of other subjects into this book, all while keeping it engaging and fun to read. One of the top three books I’ve read in years. Highly recommended. You can listen to my two conversations with Hampton here and here. [Another excellent Native American-themed book is 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.]
For the Love of Land: Global Case Studies of Grazing in Nature’s Image by Jim Howell – Even though I’ve been working with ranches and ranchers for over 10 years now, this book changed my perspective on the positive role that livestock can play in conserving the grasslands of the American West. The book covers a wide array of topics from natural history to ecology, and also presents real-world case studies that help to demonstrate Howell’s ideas. Anyone interested in the history of the West and the future of land conservation should keep this book within arm’s reach! You can listen to my two conversations with Jim here and here. [Another ranching book that has positively influenced by thinking is Ranching West of the 100th Meridian: Culture, Ecology, and Economics by Richard Knight et. al.]
One Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays From the World at Large by Chris La Tray – In 2015, following the death of his father, Chris La Tray quit his well-paying job as a manufacturing consultant to pursue a career as a full-time writer. A few years later, he published this book, which has gone on to win both the Montana Book Award and High Plains Book Award. Almost all of the essays and poems are deeply connected to La Tray’s home state of Montana, specifically the area in and around Missoula. La Tray is an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe of the Chippewa Indians and provides an incredibly important Indigenous perspective on life in the West. And I greatly appreciated La Tray’s down-to-earth writing style—both his poetry and his essays were welcoming and engaging, allowing me to expand my literary horizons without feeling stupid or self-conscious. [Hate reading? Then listen to my recent podcast conversation with Chris.]
Braided Creek: A Conversation in Poetry by Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser – In the preface of One Sentence Journal, La Tray mentions that reading this book of poetry was a foundational aspect of his journey as a poet. And many of my western writer friends cite Harrison as one of their greatest heroes and influences. The book is a catalog of a long-term, back-and-forth correspondence between Harrison and Kooser, in which they only communicate in poems. Neither man is specifically attributed to any one poem, so I naturally tried to figure out who was writing what (and, sometimes also tried to figure out what the hell they were talking about!). I approached reading this book as I do listening to music—no agenda, not anxiously trying to absorb all the details, not stressed out—just reading it, enjoying it, and letting it rattle around in my brain. Given the stress and anxiety of our current moment in history, this book was a welcome treat. [Another poetry book I love is Ragged Anthem by Chris Dombrowski.]
Some Horses: Essays by Thomas McGuane – After listening to one of the best conversations I’ve ever heard—Steven Rinella interviewing Thomas McGuane—I was immediately captivated by McGuane and his work. Part cowboy, part hippie, part hell-raiser, part solitary thinker—there seemed to be a depth and richness to the man that I found instantly intriguing. And in a weird case of serendipity, just a few weeks earlier and out of the blue, a good friend had sent me a signed copy of McGuane’s Some Horses. It didn’t take me long to read this book, which is nine short-ish essays about horses, the people who love them, and the landscapes where they live. To be clear, I’m not a “horse person,” but I loved every aspect of this book, most notably McGuane’s writing style, which I am woefully underqualified to try to describe in words. If you’ve read McGuane, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. If not, this book is a great place to start.
Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West by Wallace Stegner – With its perfect combination of adventure, natural history, geography, and conservation, this book should be mandatory reading for everyone living in the American West. It’s the story of John Wesley Powell, the one-armed, self-educated Civil War vet who was the first to lead a descent of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. He was a tough, brave explorer who subsequently became an expert on the watersheds of the American West. Powell went on to spend much of his life advocating for the responsible, sustainable settlement of the most arid regions of the United States. Unfortunately, the expansion-at-all-costs government of the day failed to heed Powell’s warnings, and today many of the consequences he predicted are coming home to roost. [For the most definitive account of water in the West, read Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner.]
Legends of the Fall by Jim Harrison – I’ve seen the movie multiple times, had numerous podcast guests rave about it, and the book has been sitting on my shelf for years– it’s about time I read Legends of the Fall. I know I’m inexcusably late to the party here, but now I finally understand what all of the Jim Harrison hoopla is about. It only took three pages to become completely engrossed, and I’d finished the entire book by the following afternoon. The book is three separate novellas, all unrelated in their storylines, but each showcasing different aspects of Harrison’s literary wizardry. The final novella was the basis for the Brad Pitt movie that you’ve probably seen, but the first two novellas are just as engrossing, if not more. There’s no point in my attempting to describe this masterpiece– I just encourage you to read it as soon as you can.
Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose – This book should be required reading for everyone living in the American West. It’s Western History 101. Lewis and Clark’s expedition laid the foundation for all future exploration and settlement of the West, and it is important to understand Jefferson’s motivations and the details of the arduous journey. It is just insane how tough these explorers were. I’m sure there have been many books written on the subject, but this one offers a solid, entertaining, and detailed overview of the subject. [As soon as you finish Undaunted Courage, check out Astoria: Astor and Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire: A Tale of Ambition and Survival on the Early American Frontier by Peter Stark.]
All the Wild that Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West by David Gessner – Most people who live outside of the West have never heard of Wallace Stegner and Edward Abbey, but these two men are responsible for defining many of our current ideas about the West, land use, and conservation (see my Stegner recommendation above). In this double biography, Gessner compares and contrasts the two icons, while offering some interesting (and often hilarious) insights on the current state of conservation in the American West. It’s worth noting that everything I’ve ever read by Gessner makes me laugh and think hard, even months after I finished the books. [Listen to my conversation with David here.]
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck – This book has been recommended time and again, year after year, and my recent podcast conversation with Mike Foote convinced me to move it to the top of the bedside table stack. Wow, what an amazing work of art. While I was quickly drawn into the novel’s plot and enjoyed almost every page, the book’s real power comes from its examination and subtle critique of American society. The book caused me to think long and hard about many of the incentives that drive the US economy—both back in the days of the Dust Bowl and Depression, all the way up to our current pandemic-influenced economic and employment crises. Portions of the book absolutely infuriated me, not because of the make-believe tragedies happening to Steinbeck’s make-believe characters, but because versions of these tragedies are still happening to real people today, nearly a century later. As a person who reads far too little fiction, I can say that this book has led to more self-examination and analysis of critical societal issues than any non-fiction book I’ve read recently.
Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West by Sara Dant – I had the pleasure of spending a few days with Sara at the Aspen Institute this summer, and she is an amazing wealth of knowledge about the history of the American West, as well as modern-day challenges facing the region. Even more impressive, in both her writing and speech, she is able to convey hard-to-understand (and sometimes dull) topics such as water rights and land use legislation in exciting and digestible language. As the title suggests, Losing Eden lays out the history of the West, starting with human migration into North America and ending in present day and our scramble to find solutions to climate change and natural resource shortages… with ample coverage of Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, and Aldo Leopold throughout. [Listen to my conversation with Sara here.]
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry – I almost never read fiction, but I’m so glad I read this one. It is one of the best books I have ever, or will ever, read. It’s the story of a massive cattle drive from Texas to Montana during the late 1800s, and it describes the settlement of the American West in a way that no non-fiction book could ever do. There’s no point in my trying to describe the plot, the characters, or anything about it, because I can’t do it justice. Don’t watch the movie. Buy the book. Read it immediately.
Painted Horses by Malcolm Brooks – I think the personal and societal shifts brought about by the pandemic may have altered my brain chemistry because I’m reading (and loving) novels more than ever before. If you enjoyed McMurty’s Lonesome Dove, then I can just about guarantee you will love Painted Horses. It’s a large-scale epic of the American West that marries rich characters, stunning landscapes, real-life history, and beautiful lyrical prose into a one-of-a-kind novel you won’t be able to put down. The novel is set in 1950s Montana, a time period I haven’t read much about (or if I did, it must not have made much of an impression). Like Grapes of Wrath above, Painted Horses illuminated many real-world historical issues and timeless truths, but in an entertaining manner that is much richer than plain-old history. Amazingly, Painted Horses was Brooks’s first published novel, so I’m anxiously awaiting his next one, set to be published this spring.
The Grand Canyon: Between River and Rim by Pete McBride – Calling this work of art a simple “book” is a blatant understatement. It’s a 236-page tome that combines breathtaking photography, an engaging adventure narrative, and an examination of the conservation challenges facing one of our nation’s most iconic national parks. Pete and his buddy, author Kevin Fedarko, hiked the entire 800-mile length of the Grand Canyon, a feat of endurance and exploration that is as hardcore of an adventure as anyone could dream up—more people have stood on the surface of the moon than hiked the length of the Canyon. Not only did they complete the challenge, but Pete managed to assemble a completely unique catalogue of Grand Canyon imagery, offering a new perspective on a landscape I thought I knew fairly well. And if that’s not enough, Hampton Sides wrote the foreword and Fedarko wrote the introduction, making for a truly all-star collaboration. [You can listen to my conversation with Pete here.]
American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon by Steven Rinella – Long before there were cows or humans on the North American continent, there were bison. When Europeans began settling America, there were somewhere between 60 and 100 million bison roaming the continent. By the late 1800s, thanks to systematic slaughter by Americans, there were only around 800 left. In this very enjoyable book, Rinella gives the reader a huge amount of history, facts, and data related to bison and the settlement of the American West, all laid over his own personal narrative of hunting a wild bison (with a proper permit) in the Alaskan wilderness. You’ll be smarter after reading this book. [To go even deeper into the history of buffalo, read Last Stand: George Bird Grinnell, the Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the Birth of the New West by Michael Punke.]
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan – Anyone who has spent time in southeast Colorado, western Oklahoma, or northwest Texas needs to read this book. It’s the story of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and it describes the settlement of the Great Plains, the boom and bust of the wheat markets, and the eventual drought that destroyed both the land and many of the hard-working homesteaders who lived there. It’s truly unbelievable what hardships these people endured, and it’s shocking to learn about the huckster businessmen and government crooks who played such an active role in creating the disaster. The story serves as a powerful cautionary tale about the consequences of out-of-control speculation and blatant disrespect for the land. [If you don’t know how to read, Ken Burns: The Dust Bowl is an acceptable alternative.]
The Painter by Peter Heller – My weird 6+ year abstention from fiction came to an abrupt end with this book, and I now realize how much I’ve been missing. Having recently spent time in Paonia (the town where the book is set), I could not get enough of Heller’s beautifully accurate descriptions of Colorado’s Western Slope—it was just as good or better than the best non-fiction I’ve read describing the region. His descriptions of northern New Mexico are equally compelling, as are the book’s fly fishing scenes. I found myself underlining line after line of the protagonist’s inner dialogue—who knew you could learn important life lessons from made-up people’s thoughts?! And to top it all off, the storyline was addictive, with more than enough fighting and action to keep my easily distracted brain fully engaged. I loved this book and look forward to reading more of Heller’s fiction… and fiction in general. [And after you finish The Painter, read Heller’s The Dog Stars. You’ll love it.]
Down from the Mountain: The Life and Death of a Grizzly Bear by Bryce Andrews – In my experience, there are very few topics in the American West that consistently evoke such emotion (i.e., fury) as the conflict between people and predators. Very generally speaking, it’s the agricultural community on one side, the environmentalists on the other, with very little common ground between the two. Enter author Bryce Andrews, whose resume gives him a unique and invaluable perspective on all sides of the conflict. Bryce is an experienced rancher, advocate for large carnivores, and a sharp, insightful writer who can describe these complex relationships in an even-keeled style that resonates with folks on both sides of the argument. In Down from the Mountain, he gives an educational, entertaining, and sometimes-heartbreaking account of the interactions between a specific grizzly bear and corn farm located in Montana’s Mission Valley. It’s a damn good story, and I read it in two sittings. No matter your stance on predators and people in the West, this book will provide much-needed empathy for “the other side,” and hopefully lay the groundwork for more productive, less adversarial conversations around these topics in the future.
Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West by Heather Hansman – One of the biggest challenges I face in my job in conservation is the need to communicate western water issues in a way that is thorough, but not dull. When delving into the details of water rights, there is a clear point (somewhere around the mention of jargon like “prior appropriation”) where people’s eyes predictably glaze over and the conversation trails off. Enter Heather Hansman, who has cracked the code on explaining water in the West in an entertaining and engaging style—enough detail to satisfy the most curious readers while still interesting for water novices. The book follows her mostly solo paddling adventure down the Green River, in which she floats from the base of the Wind River Mountains all the way to the confluence with the Colorado River. A perfect blend of adventure narrative and educational lesson, this book is an ideal entry point for people looking to learn more about water issues facing the West today, without having to fight off the normal narcolepsy that accompanies most water books.
Bad Land: An American Romance by Jonathan Raban – This book had been on my “to-read” list for quite a while, but a recent work trip to eastern Montana prompted me to bump it to the top of the list—an amazing book that I should’ve read years ago. It’s a history of the settlement of eastern Montana combined with the author’s personal journey traveling through and learning about this uniquely American landscape and culture. Raban details the railroads’ marketing trickery that convinced aspiring emigrants to pack up and move to a 320-acre patch of treeless, dry, windswept grassland. He explains the government’s propaganda touting the lie that “rain follows the plow,” which convinced most of these settlers to plow up healthy grass and plant crops that would not grow. Raban is British, so he brings an outsider’s perspective to his analysis, completely free of the romantic biases that Americans often harbor toward the West. Enlightening, funny, and entertaining—highly recommended.
One Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays From the World at Large by Chris La Tray – In 2015, following the death of his father, Chris La Tray quit his well-paying job as a manufacturing consultant to pursue a career as a full-time writer. A few years later, he published this book, which has gone on to win both the Montana Book Award and High Plains Book Award. Almost all of the essays and poems are deeply connected to La Tray’s home state of Montana, specifically the area in and around Missoula. La Tray is an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe of the Chippewa Indians and provides an incredibly important Indigenous perspective on life in the West. And I greatly appreciated La Tray’s down-to-earth writing style—both his poetry and his essays were welcoming and engaging, allowing me to expand my literary horizons without feeling stupid or self-conscious. [Hate reading? Then listen to my recent podcast conversation with Chris.]
Braided Creek: A Conversation in Poetry by Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser – In the preface of One Sentence Journal, La Tray mentions that reading this book of poetry was a foundational aspect of his journey as a poet. And many of my western writer friends cite Harrison as one of their greatest heroes and influences. The book is a catalog of a long-term, back-and-forth correspondence between Harrison and Kooser, in which they only communicate in poems. Neither man is specifically attributed to any one poem, so I naturally tried to figure out who was writing what (and, sometimes also tried to figure out what the hell they were talking about!). I approached reading this book as I do listening to music—no agenda, not anxiously trying to absorb all the details, not stressed out—just reading it, enjoying it, and letting it rattle around in my brain. Given the stress and anxiety of our current moment in history, this book was a welcome treat. [Another poetry book I love is Ragged Anthem by Chris Dombrowski.]
Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History by Dan Flores – I love books that go deep on one very specific subject, and this is one of my favorites. The coyote is a controversial figure, especially here in the American West, and understanding this highly intelligent animal—and humans’ relationship with it—provides some interesting insights into the history of North America, our relationships with other species, and some of the comical ways we’ve gone about trying to control the natural world. The book covers all aspects of the animal, from its evolutionary past to its relationship with Native Americans, and its ability to outwit our best efforts to exterminate it from the planet. Whether you love them or hate them (or can’t distinguish a coyote from a German Shepard), you’ll walk away from this book with new insights into humans, animals, and the North American landscape. [Listen to my conversation with Dan here.]
American Serengeti: The Last Big Animals of the Great Plains by Dan Flores – If you have an interest in natural history and love the American West, this book should be required reading. It gives an overview of the history of large mammals in North America—also known as “charismatic megafauna’—which included lions, mammoths, saber-toothed cats, giant ground sloths, and giant long-horned bison, to name a few. Then Flores digs into detail on some of North America’s remaining large mammals, including pronghorn, coyotes, horses, grizzlies, bison, and wolves. I marked up almost every page of this book with notes and highlights, as each chapter gave me new insights into the why things are the way they are in the West. Flores balances natural history and science with humor and clean prose, making this book a real pleasure to read. I predict I’ll be referring back to this book often. [Listen to my conversation with Dan here.]
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller – If you’ve subscribed to my list for a while, then you know that I struggle mightily to finish fiction books. But once again, fiction by Peter Heller seems to be the glaring exception to the rule. I devoured The Painter last year and did the same with The Dog Stars a few weeks back. Heller’s formula is irresistible to me—beautifully written prose, vivid descriptions of familiar Rocky Mountain landscapes, and action-packed storylines balanced with masterful character development. On the surface, the plot of The Dog Stars may seem dark—a man struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic, lawless, lonely Colorado. But I found the book to be fast-paced, at-times funny, and suspenseful enough to keep the attention of an easily bored reader like me. If you’re familiar with the area around of my old stomping grounds of Boulder, Colorado, then you will especially enjoy Heller’s depictions of the area’s foothills, prairies, and man-made landmarks.
That Wild Country: An Epic Journey through the Past, Present, and Future of America’s Public Lands by Mark Kenyon. I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of this book, which will be officially released in the coming weeks. It is Kenyon’s first book, and wow, what an amazing job he does weaving history, modern-day politics, and his personal story into an educational yet fun-to-read book. Thanks to my work and interests, I’m deeply immersed in the history of and controversies around public land, yet I still learned a ton from Mark and his book. And even as a self-appointed expert on Theodore Roosevelt, I sheepishly admit that I learned some new tidbits about TR’s life and conservation legacy. I just wish this book had been around several years ago when the threats to our public lands entered the forefront of American politics, as it’s the fun-to-read, deep dive we’ve needed for years.
It All Turns on Affection: The Jefferson Lecture and Other Essays by Wendell Berry – In my circle of friends involved in land conservation and agriculture, Wendell Berry is a living legend. A Stanford-educated writer and poet who studied under Wallace Stegner, Berry choose to return home to his family farm in rural Kentucky to live, farm, and write, all while deeply immersed in a place that he loves. The first essay in this book is a reflection on the importance of truly knowing a place, having deep affection for it, and developing the obligation to protect and care for it. I imagine that I’ll read this essay at least once a year, as it is one of those dense, meaningful, beautifully written works that will take on a different significance depending on my current stage of life.
Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape edited by Barry Lopez and Debra Gwartney After nearly a decade of struggling to figure out original ways to accurately describe ranches, rivers, and western landscapes, this book was a godsend. More of a reference book than prose, it’s a comprehensive catalog of over 850 terms that describe America’s natural features. Even better, the terms’ original definitions were composed by some of our best contemporary writers, folks like Jon Krakauer, Charles Frazier, and many more. I’ve caught myself looking up one word, and then continuing to read, page after page, because it’s all just so interesting. Highly recommended for anyone like me who thrashes through the writing process.
The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko – This book hits on many of the subjects I love: adventure, history, conservation, the West, water, and crazy people. The title sums up the primary storyline, but the book covers many ancillary topics including Coronado’s 14th-century expedition to the Grand Canyon, John Wesley Powell’s first descent of the Colorado (a nice summary of Beyond the 100th mentioned above), a history of the US’s river-damming efforts (and ensuing protests from Edward Abbey et. al.), and the culture of river guiding in the West. If you enjoy exciting adventure stories and want an overview of the history of Western water issues, this book is an excellent choice.
The Wire That Fenced the West by Frances and Henry McCallum – Who would ever think that a book about nothing but barbed wire could be interesting? I was skeptical at first, but since reading it, I’ve found myself thinking about this book on a regular basis. Be forewarned, it starts out a little dry with an overly detailed history of the invention and patenting of barbed wire. But it’s worth pushing through the minutia, because what follows is a fascinating discussion of how barbed wire affected the settlement of the West, private property rights, and the rise of the cattle industry, and allowed the West to become an economically viable landscape. I finished this book with a new appreciation for barbed wire – one of the most influential, game-changing, and highly underrated inventions of the last 200 years.
Cattle Kingdom: The Hidden History of the Cowboy West by Christopher Knowlton – This is the book I’ve been waiting for since I moved West in 2005. It’s a comprehensive history of the settlement of the West, as shaped by the rapid expansion (and dramatic implosion) of the cattle ranching business. I loved this book because it’s broad enough to offer a solid overview of the timeframe of the first cattle drives north from Texas, but it also zooms in on specific individuals and events that were instrumental in fueling the western cattle boom. Despite my involvement in the ranching world and my voracious appetite for western history, I learned a lot from this book, specifically the influence of European investment on western settlement. To add to my excitement, there is lots of discussion of TR and his involvement in the West, which is always a welcome subject.
The Last Cowboys: A Pioneer Family in the New West by John Branch – This book had been on my need-to-read list for quite a while, so I snagged it while browsing at Bookbinders Basalt. I started reading it on a Friday and was finished by Sunday morning– an excellent book! Having worked closely with the ranching community for almost a decade, I was well aware of how many ranching families paired a love of rodeo with the business of ranching, using winnings from the former to keep the later afloat. This book perfectly captures the lifestyles and hard realities of both rodeo and ranching– the long hours, physical and financial dangers, and the seemingly endless treadmill of debt, tight cash flows, and uncertainty. I particularly appreciated Branch’s ability to highlight the economic pressure caused by escalating land prices, a real and often understated challenge facing food producers in the West. With the skill of a seasoned sportswriter and the eye of a top-notch storyteller, Branch conveys important, timely information in a fun-to-read narrative.
Querencia by Stephen Bodio – I received this book as a gift and had embarrassingly never heard of it before I opened the package. I started flipping through it one evening, then started reading seriously, and two days later, I had finished it. A truly heartwarming and beautiful book. It’s the author’s personal story of moving to rural New Mexico from New England, along with his partner Betsy, who was twenty years his senior. His artful and often witty descriptions of New Mexico’s arid, striking landscapes reminded me of when I moved from North Carolina to Wyoming and had trouble fathoming the wholly foreign landscape of the West. His skillful and funny descriptions of his neighbors and community also made me reminisce (and/or cringe) thinking about when I was thrown headfirst from the gentile southeast, directly into the West’s rough and tumble ranching world. But what I loved most about this book was how Bodio described slowly but surely becoming enchanted by the landscape and people, and how this foreign land eventually became his home. [For similarly powerful writing about a similar landscape, read The Walk by William deBuys.]
River of Traps: A New Mexico Mountain Life by William deBuys & Alex Harris – As you can probably tell from these book selections, I’ve grown slightly obsessed with New Mexico. Its history, landscape, culture, people, food, and sometimes kookiness (I’m looking at you, Santa Fe) have unexpectedly started to carve out a special place in my heart. This book paints an engaging picture of life in rural New Mexico in the 1970s, and touches on the history, lore, and challenges facing these mountain communities. Author deBuys and photographer Harris tell the story of local farmer Jocabo Romero, a kind, capable, and a fascinating man whose family was deeply tied to the mountain landscape. Jacobo shares his wisdom on farming and irrigating with deBuys, a highly educated, early twenty-something easterner who found himself deeply immersed in this western landscape. Friendship, land, history, and community, written with skill by a world-class author… what’s not to love?
Buffalo for the Broken Heart: Restoring Life to a Black Hills Ranch by Dan O’Brien – This book combines many of the subjects I find fascinating: ranching, natural history, bison, conservation, the American West, and regenerative agriculture. It follows the author’s journey to convert his South Dakota ranch from a traditional cattle operation to a 100% grassfed and finished bison operation, which, as it turns out, is not an easy task. I had the pleasure of meeting the author a year ago, and he’s equal parts tough-guy rancher and soft-hearted intellectual—he seems just as likely to write a verse of poetry as he is to finish a bar fight. The book thoroughly explains the economic and emotional challenges facing ranchers throughout the West, while digging deep into the historical and ecological aspects of flora and fauna, particularly buffalo, in the shortgrass prairie ecosystem. [If you like this book, I’d also suggest O’Brien’s most recent title: Wild Idea: Buffalo and Family in a Difficult Land.]
Dog Run Moon: Stories by Callan Wink – I heard about Callan Wink from a buddy of mine who insisted that I check out his work. Wink’s resume seemed too good to be true—he’s a summertime Montana fishing guide and a wintertime California surfer, who also happens to write so well that he’s been compared to a Hemingway, Harrison, McGuane, and McCarthy. And even though I’m far from a fiction or literature expert, I’d have to agree that Wink is a damn extraordinary writer. This book is a collection of short stories, many of which are set in southwestern Montana or northern Wyoming—places near and dear to my heart. I loved his vivid descriptions of the region’s landscapes and was blown away by his ability to create such vivid characters with a relatively small number of words. I actually had several dreams about the stories and characters, which is always the sign of an impactful book worth reading. [For a book of powerful non-fiction stories, check out McGuane’s The Longest Silence: A Life in Fishing.]
August: A Novel by Callan Wink — I started this book immediately after finishing the one above, and devoured it at a similar breakneck pace. August is Wink’s first novel, and it’s an expansion of one of his stories from Dog Run Moon. It follows a young man’s life from age 12 through 19, through a series of formative, sometimes tragic, life events, including moving from his home in Michigan to Montana. Wink’s descriptions of Livingston and the surrounding Montana landscapes made me really miss that part of the world, but what really made the book so damn engaging were the characters. I don’t know how Wink did it, but by the end of the book, I felt that I really knew the main character, as well as many of the supporting characters. Wink is a master of dialogue and seems to have an uncanny ability to describe tiny, yet very telling, personality quirks that can clearly define a personality.
American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West by Nate Blakeslee – When I asked renowned author and historian Dan Flores to recommend his favorite books about the American West, he named American Wolf right alongside Stegner’s Beyond the Hundredth Meridian. You can’t receive much higher praise than that! And I’m pleased to report that the book does not disappoint—it’s an action-packed, engaging narrative of the lives of wolf packs living in and around Yellowstone National Park, with a special emphasis on O-Six, a charismatic pack leader. Wolves are a delicate subject here in the West, and most discussions of the legendary canine are sure to evoke strong reactions from anyone connected to the region. The animal and its influence touch almost every aspect of life in the Rockies, and it’s difficult to understand the region without understanding wolves. I found the book to be balanced, informative, and fun– I highly recommend it.
Theodore Roosevelt in the Badlands: A Young Politician’s Quest for Recovery in the American West by Roger Di Silvestro – There’s no such thing as “too much TR,” and this book is one of my favorites. It focuses exclusively on the time he spent ranching, hunting, and living in the Dakota Territories during the late 1880s. On Valentine’s Day 1884, both TR’s mother and wife died within hours of each other, from unrelated causes. The tragic event caused the young TR to take a break from political life, become a cattleman, and devote his time and energy to “the strenuous life” of the American West. There’s no question that TR’s time in the Badlands shaped his views on conservation and gave him a lifelong love of the West and its people. [Still need more TR??! Then go straight to the source with Hunting Trips of a Ranchman by the man himself, Theodore Roosevelt.]
