Vicious: Wolves and Men in America

by Jon T. Coleman

Book Overview

A provocative history of wolves in America and of the humans who first destroyed them and now offer them protection

"A shocking cultural study of our long, sadistic crusade against wolves. Moving brilliantly through history, economics, and biology, Coleman...explains America's fevered obsession with these animals."--Ron Charles, Washington Post Book Club

Over a continent and three centuries, American livestock...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300119720
• ISBN13: 9780300119725
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Who Are the Vicious Ones?

It doesn't take one long to realize the title, I believe, doesn't refer to the viciousness of the wolves, but to humans. In a number of instances he reveals the incredible senseless cruelty inflicted upon captured wolves, many times for sheer pleasure and other times to somehow to 'even the score'. Particularly interesting are the passages on the Mormons and their eradication of the wolves of Utah, which I think backfired in an interesting way, the very tall tales associated with wolves, the turning point toward environmentalism brought about Leopold, and the governmental eradication program in effect until 1950. It's quite interesting to see how the government "propaganda program" drove the eradication effort. The author makes an interesting remark that there is no record in North America that wolves have ever killed a human. It's probably true, but worth looking into. I've heard this remark before. Perhaps a little Google work, or maybe something is in his bibliography. There was an interesting section on communications between the Algonquin indians and Europeans settlers that hinged on interaction with wolves, dogs, and other animals. I recently had seen the movie "New World", 2005/6 release, which depicted this communication in a similar way. Perhaps the author had some influence.

Vicious, but Not Killers of People.

As a young girl, I was warned that lecherous old men were "wolves on the prowl." After all, children read about Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf with big teeth. These are only imaginary wolves not the real 'vicious' wild animals. When the Europeans came to America, there was a goodly population of these creatures, hungry and ferocious as a tiger in a zoo. Wolf legends preceded them and they were forced to migrate to the West because of rampant eradication in the North East. Steeped in myth and symbols, they existed in folklore long before history connected them to humans. Wolves were territorial and their haunting howls were not as predators but communication 'songs' warning rival groups in search of food to look elsewhere. Wolves had their own reasons for 'singing' -- to prevent the forced eliminaton of each other. Like the Indians and buffalo, they were forced off their native lands to the wild West to the point of extinction. Exterminated in the rangelands and farming regions of the U. S., the species survived in the upper regions of Alaska and Canada, along the Great Lakes in the East. Humans are vicious at the core, generating pain and suffering on each other and cause extreme violence to feel "big." People transported their hatred in stories and traditions,not their souls. Humans tortured animals and showed all kinds of nasty behavior. Euro-Americans killed wild animals and transformed habitats. They espoused a climate of public opinion that mixes love, hate, and indifference with savage behavior. Like the buffalo, they became an endangered species, yet they have survived. Some of the Canadian wolves have been transplanted to Yellowstone National Park in Montana. In the Smoky Mountains, we have the vicious black bears, as dangerous as any wolf who will actually kill humans who find themselves on the wrong hiking trail. Will the uneducated hillfolk of this area decide to exterminate the bear population? People in this large town at the base of the Smokies will spend all day at Cades Cove just to see a real deer. In Middle Tennessee, we have Davy Crockett Park full of deer to enjoy. But, no one can trust a wolf unless, of course, he is a caged animal in the zoo. Humans are so insecure and must use guns not for protection but to feed their egoes. The painting on the cover shows a group of Puritans huddling together as the big, bad wolf growls, the old woman with a red cloak and the man not aiming his rifle (just pointing at the dangerous predator), reflects how uninformed our ancestors really were and how naive. He looks just like a wolf-hound. Jon T. Colemen traveled the country, from New England to Utah, stopping in Denver along the way, for his research; this well-researched book began as a doctoral thesis at Yale University. He teaches history at the University of Notre Dame, and helps take care of his children (along with the laundry) as does my son, the astronomer.