Wolf Nation

From Jack London to Aldo Leopold's "fierce green fire," wolves have been a central part of the American image. Many have even suggested that the national symbol, the bald eagle, be replaced with this noble creature who, like Americans, raises a family and is bold and loyal in protecting the pack.

Brenda Peterson blends science, history, and memoir to dramatise the epic battle to restore wolves and thus the landscape and ecology of the continent. From the vicious exterminations carried out by pioneers and settlers; to the internationally celebrated triumph of the return of wolves to Yellowstone; to backlash, politics, and near-daily news of successful reintroductions, this is perhaps the most inspiring conservation story of our time. Brenda's central characters are two famous wolves: the powerful and prolific female "067," restored to Yellowstone only to be "legally" murdered, and Journey, a near-miraculous transcontinental survivor. Along with these are the scientists, ranchers, and activists who are fighting against fear, politics, greed, and scientific ignorance to bring wild wolves home to keep the environment whole.

“"[ Wolf Nation ] is a comprehensive look at these animals - their behavior and biology, why they howl and how they hunt, how alpha females can lead a family pack, and how their presence has improved every ecology to which they have returned."-- Cosmos”

"[Wolf Nation] is a comprehensive look at these animals - their behavior and biology, why they howl and how they hunt, how alpha females can lead a family pack, and how their presence has improved every ecology to which they have returned."--Cosmos
"A rich account of a most enigmatic creature."--Library Journal
"A riveting, heartwarming, and occasionally heartbreaking history of wolves in America."
--Chicago Review of Books
"Blending solid history with on-the-ground reportage, Peterson turns in a spirited defense of Canis lupus."--Kirkus Reviews
"Gripping and wonderfully lucid, this is both an entrancing and necessary read."--Manhattan Book Review
"In Wolf Nation, Peterson adeptly captures the plight of wolves on this continent, stressing the importance of their return to prominence in nature."

--Winnipeg Free Press

"In eloquent language, Peterson brings us to the truisms that not only does wilderness need wolves, but wolves must thrive to make the world whole again."--Booklist
"Peterson broadens the existing wolf-behavior knowledge base through well-informed discussions of the pivotal effect that wolves have on wild ecosystems, the increasingly sophisticated study of wolf biology, and not only why wolves howl but what they might be saying."
--Santa Fe New Mexican
"Peterson's considerable writing skills shine brilliantly through her engaging, flowing prose as she seamlessly interweaves science, history and memoir in this important and meticulously researched book."--Forbes, ?The 10 Best Environment, Climate Science and Conservation Books of 2017?
"The story of how wolves...came to reinhabit the American West is recounted in Brenda Peterson's instructive new book...[She] has ideal credentials to undertake such a project."--Wall Street Journal

Brenda Peterson is the author of eighteen books, including the novel Duck and Cover, which was a New York Times "Notable Book of the Year," and I Want to Be Left Behind, selected by the Christian Science Monitor among the Top Ten Best Non-Fiction Books of 2010. Her most recent work, Your Life Is a Book, was a monthly Oprah book club selection. Peterson's work has appeared in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and she has contributed environmental commentary to Seattle NPR stations and on animal and environmental issues for The Huffington Post. She lives in Seattle on the shores of Salish Sea.

From Jack London to Aldo Leopold's "fierce green fire," wolves have been a central part of the American image. Many have even suggested that the national symbol, the bald eagle, be replaced with this noble creature who, like Americans, raises a family and is bold and loyal in protecting the pack.Brenda Peterson blends science, history, and memoir to dramatise the epic battle to restore wolves and thus the landscape and ecology of the continent. From the vicious exterminations carried out by pioneers and settlers; to the internationally celebrated triumph of the return of wolves to Yellowstone; to backlash, politics, and near-daily news of successful reintroductions, this is perhaps the most inspiring conservation story of our time. Brenda's central characters are two famous wolves: the powerful and prolific female "067," restored to Yellowstone only to be "legally" murdered, and Journey, a near-miraculous transcontinental survivor. Along with these are the scientists, ranchers, and activists who are fighting against fear, politics, greed, and scientific ignorance to bring wild wolves home to keep the environment whole.

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