Pride and shame

Wow, this was such a good book. I laughed, I cried, I cringed. There was good, bad and ugly but it was all real. I don’t think a book has ever given me simultaneous feelings of such pride and shame for history. I really hope someday that Quanah’s home can be restored. If you google it, it’s still there in Oklahoma but is in disrepair.

39 people found this helpful

Difficult to endure narrator

The narrator is difficult to endure. The voice cadence is unnatural, inflection of tone also unnatural. Almost robotic. Book however is fascinating.

57 people found this helpful

Well written and very interesting.

This is a history book, written in story form. I checked a number of statements and accounts of events and they agreed with outside sources. I have no reason to doubt the author but some of the events were completely new to me. This was very well written, especially when considering that many related things were happening and different viewpoints were shaped at the same time in different parts of this vast land. This subject is not a huge hobby or interest for me to follow but I was fully engaged in this book. Highly recommended.

45 people found this helpful

A story that needed telling.

In Empire of the Summer Moon, Gwynne details not only what the daily lives were like for the Comanche people, but how their presence and strength hindered America's westward expansion into the great plains. It provides much needed perspective for people who do not understand the intricacies and danger of a life lived in the "wild west".

Hearing about a woman who was abducted by the Comanches and then refused to assimilate back into american culture when "saved" really tells you something about the life on the land that the Comanches had. I learned so much and the time flew by while listening to this book.

20 people found this helpful

Great story in need of better narration

Such a fascinating dive into a distinct part of history. The only critique is it seems the narrator was emotionally disengaged from the book's content, which left more to be desired from such a powerful story.

63 people found this helpful

Racist Drivel, Historically Inaccurate

All sources cited, apart from a couple of interviews with Quanah himself, are from the Colonizers ("referred to as the 'civilized,' 'white man,' and 'settlers' consistently). The author makes sweeping generalizations about Plains Indians and other Tribal Nations (referred to as 'savage,' 'heathens,' 'filthy,' and 'primitive' consistently). I tried reading past the obvious racist language and perspective but gave up after finding numerous factual inaccuracies, to the point that reading this book will worsen one's understanding of North American history rather than enhance it...Some small examples of 'facts' that are neither well-researched nor accurate: the timelines of the development of agriculture are off by a few thousand years (with the author demonstrating an obvious lack of understanding of North American indigenous husbandry and cultivation practices; "Buffalo" (-should be called bison) are said to be a stupid animal (using an infamous 19th-century White bison hunter's account) while contemporary bison ranchers and biologists unilaterally call them very intelligen; the Comanche are stated to have been the only 'tribe' to have mastered horse breeding, without even considering the Nez-Perce who are well known for this as well. Finally, anyone writing a book about a People really should include sources from said People...The Comanche are not extinct - There is a lot of Tribal Knowledge that has been passed down through oral histories and traditions, and yet none of this is included. (Quanah's granddaughter was interviewed, but primarily to verify facts about his life, not generalities of Comanche culture and history.) If you want to read a book that's essentially written by the people responsible for the destruction of the Comanche and their way of life, this is the one for you. If you want a narrative about the filthy, war-hungry, savage Indians that feels like an old black and white Western film, you've found it. For an understanding of Comanche culture and history, look elsewhere.

8 people found this helpful

Historically Significant

I've read a few books that focus on the Native American culture and the impact on the American West. I particularly enjoyed "The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend" written by Bob Drury, and Tom Clavin, and also Nathanial Philbrick's "The Last Stand", and "The Mayflower", each providing a glimpse into what Native Americans were up against, and the finality of their existence. This book provides an insight into the lives of one of if not the most feared tribes ever to grace the North American continent: The Comanches.

Plain and simply put, the Comanche nation was nasty! This is a band of natives that stopped at nothing when it came to war, whether they fought, captured, tortured, raped, scalped, or simply killed their opposition, they held nothing back. And they conducted these atrocities with fervor and zest which is far more extreme than any of their native cousins might have done. And the author doesn't hold back. Each detail is spelled out regardless of the victim, regardless of the situation, and without concern for a reader's queazy stomach. The nasty details are all provided as the historical significance of this great tribe unfolds.

The book feels a bit long in places though may be a result of the author's effort to include every generational anecdote from the early 1700's until their ultimate demise in the late 1870's. Little appears to be left out so the chapters are filled, and thus long(er) in spots. But the tiresome length is helped along with an easy to listen to narration which is evenly pitched, with perfect inflection and annunciation. David Drummond does an excellent job!

If you're looking for a book on Texas, and Oklahoma Native American history, this is the one for you. No details are left outs and you'll find each chapter full of historical significance you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.

79 people found this helpful

Sweeping, Epic, Thorough, Efforltess Listen

Would you consider the audio edition of Empire of the Summer Moon to be better than the print version?

Listening to the story gives it that around the campfire feel that seems very appropriate for this book.On the other hand, this kind of book has lots of information, and I prefer to have a hardcopy in those cases, so that I can make quick notes and refer back to previous passages.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved that it weaved together a pretty thorough story of the settling of the West, the frontier in Texas, history of firearms, the influence of Spain and Mexico, the Comanche culture, pioneer ignorance and ingenuity, Texas Rangers, and the transition of Quanah into a statesman.

What about David Drummond’s performance did you like?

He's very even! No issues with voice or volume modulation and his voice is very pleasant. He does a minimum interpretation of characters, very few character voices, and that is something I definitely appreciate.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

There's a lot of history here. Better broken off and chewed in pieces.

23 people found this helpful

Educational

This was a hard lesson on American history. The domination of man over man expressed in horrific ways. I will listen to it again after my feeling stop hurting.

16 people found this helpful

Racist anti-indigenous storytelling

I had hoped to get some interesting American history outbid this but was sorely disappointed by a story so punctuated with racist inferences about indigenous people that I couldn’t keep listening. The story itself also seemed to be embellished with so many details that there is no way they could know the accuracy of what they were saying....just a bunch of racist crap.
Indigenous people deserve to have their story told with honest, historical facts based on real documents.

3 people found this helpful