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.

91 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.

80 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.

69 people found this helpful

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.

58 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.

58 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.

34 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.

29 people found this helpful

A Flawed, Important History: Troublesome Narration

Living on the Llano Estacado, I enjoyed listening to Gwynne's history. It is a narrative largely obscured from the land, save for some historical markers and large arrows that signal where Quannah's band stayed. It becomes important, then, for us to acknowledge who dwelt on the land before cities like Lubbock and Amarillo.

Gwynne does well in setting up the narrative, although there are some potential problems. I appreciated how he did not shy away from the horrors of Comanche (Nʉmʉnʉʉ) and Texas Ranger raids. Writing about the Texans, he uses historical records to show how they viewed indigenous people. While Gwynne does recognize the Nʉmʉnʉʉ's strength in combat and economy (discussing the network of comancheros and horse trades), there were times where his descriptions on the Comanche bands relied too heavily on terms like "savage." It suggests a common narrative for indigenous American tribes: they were doomed to disappear once settlers encroached on their lands. Reading this text alongside additional Comanche accounts and Pekka Hämäläinen's Comanche Empire might be useful to get a broader account of the conflict that drove the Nʉmʉnʉʉ to their reservation.

My chiefest complaint with the audio recording is the performance. The narrator often pronounced Spanish words like Llano Estacado and Blanco Canyon incorrectly. These moments made the narrator sound unprofessional and took me out of the narrative. It also suggests that the production company did not exercise due diligence in researching the correct pronunciation.

20 people found this helpful

How does this get so much praise?

This book was downright racist. The author somehow paints paints genocide as natural white destiny and Native American culture as barbarian savages. The lack of nuance is incredible, the fact this was published so recently is equally astonishing. I hope the prospective reader takes there money or credit elsewhere. There is no place in the world for this kind of whitewashing of history.

17 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.

17 people found this helpful