Shadow Mountain: A Memoir of Wolves, a Woman, and the Wild

by Renée Askins

After forming an intense bond with Natasha, a wolf cub she raised as part of her undergraduate research, Renée Askins was inspired to found the Wolf Fund. As head of this grassroots organization, she made it her goal to restore wolves to Yellowstone National Park, where they had been eradicated by man over seventy years before. In this intimate account, Askins recounts her courageous fifteen-year campaign, wrangling along the way with Western ranchers and their political allies in Washington, enduring death threats, and surviving the anguish of illegal wolf slayings to ensure that her dream of restoring Yellowstone’s ecological balance would one day be realized. Told in powerful, first-person narrative, Shadow Mountain is the awe-inspiring story of her mission and her impassioned meditation on our connection to the wild.

Genres: Wolves, Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Wildlife

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

RENÉE ASKINS founded the Wolf Fund in 1986 for the sole purpose of reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone National Park.

She has been profiled in Time, Harper’s Bazaar, Audubon, the New York Times, People, and Parade and her writing has been featured in Harper's Magazine and in the anthology Intimate Nature: The Bond Between Women and Animals. She has traveled and lectured extensively on the topic of wildness in our culture.

Renee currently lives in California with her daughter, her husband, Tom Rush, three dogs, four parakeets and two lovebirds.

Reviews

[hare · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very lyrical memoir, with Renee Askins's founding of The Wolf Fund as a backdrop to her life story. It is, however, not so much about wolves as about wildlife conservation in general. It is the lingering idea of wolves that drives the whole story, as it happens largely before the Yellowstone reintroduction. I believe this shadow presence was the author's intention, but those seeking to read about wolves specifically might be disappointed. I sure wasn't.

[epg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of how wolves were successfully reintroduced into the Yellowstone ecosystem, told from the writer’s personal perspective - a key player herself. It’s not a detailed account, step-by-step of exactly what happened, but rather, I suppose, a telling of what was important about it all for her. Though we learn a lot about her personal commitment and concrete involvement, these aspects are almost less significant than her motivation - her relationship with ‘the wild’ with a spotlight on her own strong affinity with canines both wild and domesticated. Many moving episodes from her life with her various pets are woven into the telling.

Though I wouldn’t say I agreed with all her opinions or loved every page, on finishing the book I definitely felt it had been well worth my time. It had brought me something. I found even where I differed with her views, her convictions felt honest. I didn’t actually get hooked until a few chapters in - a bit too much about her past and personal experiences up front for me, and some parts felt a bit repetitive or dragged on, but only briefly. However I praise her comfortable writing style, enjoyed her patches of vivid, atmospheric description and found there was a good sense of place wherever she took us. Also I always enjoy and relate deeply to the notion of “listening to/being in touch with nature” that she puts into words so well (so much better than I just did) and I welcomed the interesting food for thought; for instance, the discussion about man’s connection to animals and the current status quo of domination and control over them, expressed, I felt, in a less ‘militant’, more digestible way than sometimes heard elsewhere. I also enjoyed the references to places with which I’m familiar and love in Montana/Wyoming, bringing it all to life even more for me. A good read.

[Brynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed this memoir, there were moments when the author's perspective on wildness and our hand in it became to much. Although I fundamentally agree with her perspective I felt there were moments when she pushed too hard instead of letting her story tell itself. But still an interesting perspective on a key player in getting wolves back in Yellowstone.

[Beckie Elgin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book on many levels. Askins details both her personal life and the long, drawn out efforts made by her and many others to return wolves to Yellowstone. Readers get tins of inside information, and learn of the hardships of this battle. And we learn about one woman's dedication to returning a wild place to its original, diverse form by bringing back the wolf.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm fascinated by the controversial reintroduction of wolves at Yellowstone National Park and had to read this book as soon as I saw it. (And what better place to read it than here in Montana?) Renee Askins' struggle against cattle ranchers, hunters, and the law was interesting, and I respect her for all of the sacrifices and hard work she put in to achieving the seemingly impossible, but at the same time, I sort of wish I could read the same book written by someone less involved in the campaign. Askins was far too emotionally involved to give an unbiased view of both sides of the battle (though, based on the death threats and chaos Askins had to endure from many of the cattle ranchers and hunters, I don't blame her for giving them a bad rep). I think it'd be interesting to read this same story from a journalist's point of view, one who was there for everything but could see both sides of the argument. Still, Askins brought up some very thought provoking points about the wild and the moral problems we must face when we try to control it, even if it is to save a species, or in this case, an entire ecosystem.

And, if possible, this book made me even more obsessed with wolves and the wild.

[Danigerous · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the wolves on the cover and what the book summary mentioned I expected the focus of the book to be more on the wolves themselves, their behavior, and maybe stories about individual animals. Instead, it was mostly about the author's dogs, some philosophical ramblings, and pretty much just the boring parts about the creation of the Wolf Fund. It would've been nice if she mentioned more about the struggles she had with the ranchers and other locals. Several times she just mentioned she had problems with the local people without going into any detail. I felt like there was more thorough information about the other animal projects she participated in to pay her living costs while volunteering with a wolf program. Only about a quarter of the book offered what I expected but by that time I was so fed up with the book that I couldn't really appreciate it. Not a bad book per se, but far from what I wanted to read.

[sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish i could give it more than 5 stars

[Jill Shultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lyrical story that gave me a lot of insight into the battle to restore wolves to Yellowstone National Park. Askins is my kind of crazy. She's an inspiring environmentalist, one of the people who was integral to bringing wolves back to Yellowstone National Park.

The author said this book is about "keeping a promise, living a passion, loving an animal, never turning back, not giving up hope... living in the hell between the hopes"... it's all that. Her writing is visceral and unapologetic. Too often, wildlife biologist communicate in a bloodless manner, as if explaining why they care would compromise the integrity of their research. This is a story for readers who want to be there: in the wild, and in the hearts of the people who love and hate wolves. Experience the opera that is wildlife management in the USA.

[Manda Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Askins does a really good job telling the political and environmental story of the reintroduction of the wolves to Yellowstone National Park. The personal aspects of the book regarding her involvement are, at times, overly descriptive to the point of annoyance. The book has been likened to Tempest Williams' Refuge, which I don't think is a positive nod for the book. The nature writing is good and if you like dogs this book should hold your attention because Askins LOVES to talk about her dogs and how they inform her relationship to the wolves. The critique on human hubris over animals is well said.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time reading this book through. It is not only a deep, intuitive look into an important wildlife initiative, but a glimpse into the woman's life who was the main driver of this movement. Renee generously shares exactly what it takes in a raw, real way. Her writing style is elegant and poetic, you can tell her first true love is nature.

I appreciate the way she unpacks what it means to be wild, and exactly the ethical battle we as humans have to face when we approach and encounter the wilderness. Her reverence, awe and respect for the wild is inspiring and I would recommend this book to any animal or nature lover.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

As this was my "waiting" book, it took a long time to finish. (Having said that, Askins' descriptive writing and poetic viewpoint made it difficult to leave in the car!)

Now that I'm finished, I can say it's most definitely worth the read; I appreciated Askins' colorful storytelling ability, making me feel I was really observing the majesty and beauty she shared.

Great for wolf lovers, people who marvel at how Nature is so competent and efficient but dismay of the job we humans are doing in "managing" wildlife, and for someone who deeply enjoys a good metaphor.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this book. Not only was it informative about the wolf project in Yellowstone, it was also lyrical. Renee Askins is a writer that just pulls the reader into the story of her life, her relationships with wolves and dogs, friends that she has made along the way.

It started out with a story of her first wolf study and where she bonded with a wolf pup. Askins end up taking the reader through a poetical journey, often filled with despair but with hope; fights against laws and regulations; joy and sorrow. It is one of my favorite finds of our journey through Yellowstone.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

In short: I LOVED this book. Ms Askins presents a style of writing that I have never experienced before... And I have no idea what to call it. She writes beautifully, is all I can say. I would highly recommend this memoir to anyone who enjoys a great story. Five stars, and not just because I'm a wolf lover. I am lucky enough to own this gem of a book... Needless to say, I will be keeping it forever.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing memoir - poetical, lyrical, incisive, and wise. Askins, who established The Wolf Fund with the goal of bringing wolves back to Yellowstone, beautifully intertwines her own story with that of the wolves and their return. This is the best book I have read so far this year, and it is already in the hands of one of my coworkers at the bookstore, an animal lover who is reading it avidly!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave 2 stars for the amazing imagery, 1 star for wolves, 1 star for an amazing insight into the processes necessary to take an idea for change and implement it. There were a few places the book rubbed me a bit wrong, but all in all I HIGHLY recommend this book regardless of what your views of the reintroduction of wolves to yellowstone is.

[Catherine O'toole · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is great to hear one of the stories of the people behind the facts of the return of wolves to Yellowstone. It's really fun to read, with the highs and lows of the recovery effort naturally intertwining with stories of importance from the authors life. This personal angle offers easily accessible ways into some of the more difficult questions of wildlife conservation.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book, wonderfully written. reflective & beautifully dense. personal and political merge into a life desperately... & stubbornly connected to our natural world

[Trustno1k · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a GREAT book about finding yourself/losing yourself though the things you love most.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartfelt memoir of love affair with wolves and her personal struggles throughout the journey to reintroduce them to Yellowstone.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read about a woman's life growing up around Mother Nature and struggles through life to bring wolves back to Yellowstone.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never lose sight of what it means to be wild --

I started reading this book on my way home out of Jackson Hole after a two week trip in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. The imagery Askins invokes with deft and brilliant paint brush strokes was easily rendered in acute detail to my newly impressioned memory of this place and that which was already sad to be leaving it so soon. The valleys covered with the low curling limbs of sage, filling the air - and your fingertips - with its crisp and cooling scent. The rustle of the Aspen leaves burning bright gold, their white limbs shivering at the base of the dark blue mountains, the play of light that changes every minute as the sun pours itself over a truly enchanting land. Too much? What can I say, it is such a magical place.

My obsession with the wolves in Yellowstone began a couple of years ago after reading American Wolf. But little did I realize who the woman actually was who made it it happen, this “Jane Goodall of wolves”. She wasn’t talked a lot about in all the other books I had read or I just did not notice her importance, even though Mollie Beattie’s name was always brought up on a regular basis. I am so glad I found this book to set the record straight.

I have seen some reviews that complain that she doesn’t spend enough time with the wolves, that this book dives too deep into her own personal life story. But I think that the book perfectly explains why everything before was needed to bring about something so monumental to occur, what past experiences were required for her belief to be so strong to move heaven and earth to bring back something sorely lacking in the very heart of our country. To rectify the fact that what should be a place that epitomizes the very wildness of our nation was missing one of its most vital heartbeats. And I think that in order for her to do what she did, Renee Askins had to be just as wild as those wolves she brought home, which is clearly seen in every anecdote she tells. It is obvious throughout the book that she has a very deep connection with not only the natural world - her dislike of being in New Haven made me laugh only because it rang so true in my own mind when it comes to feeling caught in a world that is more cultivated and contrived than it ever should be - but also her connection to her dogs, which is relatable too. (Dog company is much more preferred than human).

Askins contemplates repeatedly in the book the right of humans to conquer and tame nature to our own perception of what it should be, not what it actually IS and what we lose in the effort of doing so. That the more we keep ourselves locked inside our concrete cages, mowing our unnatural lawns, attuned only to our tiny phone screens, and never stepping back out into those spaces that taught us to be wild, we have lost something vital and important to our own existence. We forgot that we were wild once too.

I think that the biggest take away from this book, aside from the amazing effort to bring the wolves back to Yellowstone and of which I highly encourage anyone to learn more about, is that humans are still ignorant to the ways of a world that existed a long time before we were even a conception and because of that, the action of stripping it clean from things we fear or consider harmful, actually harms us more in the end. We must learn once more to be awed by this natural world around us. To open our senses again and breathe with the trees, explore the forest floor with the squirrels, to howl at the moon and cry at the impossibility of the things we can never understand but feel deeply in our hearts. To remember that we are not in this world but of it and it is not ours to contain or conquer. It is only ours to share for the time we are here, and in that, to preserve it to the best of our ability.

I loved this book and I cannot thank her enough for her work in the restoration of the wolves to Yellowstone. It is one heck of a legacy.

The wolves are back and may their wolf song linger now and forever over those sage filled vales and pine crowned mountains of Yellowstone and beyond, for they are, in essence, proof of the need of our own wildness.

[Claire Vanbesien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadow Mountain is a grounded, thoughtful exploration of what happens when wilderness is allowed — carefully, controversially — to return. At its core, this book is about the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone, but more importantly, it’s about our complicated relationship with wildness itself.

This is not a fast-paced thriller or a sentimental nature story. It’s reflective, observant, and quietly powerful. The wolves are central, but they’re never romanticised. Instead, they’re presented as what they are: intelligent, disruptive, essential, and deeply misunderstood. The book asks you to sit with discomfort — ecological, emotional, and human — and to accept that restoring balance is rarely neat or universally welcomed.

Emotionally, reading Shadow Mountain feels grounding. There’s a sense of awe in watching an ecosystem slowly reassert itself, and an undercurrent of tension in witnessing the resistance that change provokes. You feel respect for the wild, frustration at human short-sightedness, and a growing awareness that control and coexistence are very different things.

One line that captures the spirit of the book lingers long after reading: “The wilderness does not ask permission to exist — it only asks to be left enough space to breathe.” That idea threads through every chapter. Wolves don’t just change prey populations; they reshape rivers, forests, and human narratives about dominance and fear.

This is a book for readers who enjoy thinking as much as reading. It asks for attention, patience, and curiosity. If you’re interested in ecology, rewilding, conservation, or the uneasy beauty of letting nature be truly wild again, Shadow Mountain is deeply rewarding.

If you’re not interested in wolves, wilderness, or the idea that nature doesn’t exist solely for human comfort — this is not the book for you.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dogs have taught me that the wild is where you find it, not in some distant world relegated to a nostalgic past or an idealized future; its presence is not black or white, bad or good, corrupted or innocent. Dogs can lead us to the bridges, over the chasms of either-or. They can teach us the virtues of our vices and the vice in our virtues. They remind us that the imperfect is our paradise. A fallen tree, a barbed-wire tangle, a stream stone traverse, a daring leap--we need only follow them, for it is we, not they, who have forgotten how to navigate the nature of the "gray areas." We are of that nature, not apart from it. We survive because of it, not instead of it.

A beautifully written memoir by Renee Askins, naturalist, environmental activist, and founder of the Wolf Fund. Askins explores in great detail our love of and connection to all things wild and the ethical processes and decisions involved in man's interventions (what she calls "good intentions") in the saving of a species. Pathos, compassion, humor, and a deep and abiding conviction that we all contain a wildness within us that accounts for our fascination with and need to tame that aspect of our natures drive the narrative. Shadow Mountain: A Memoir of Wolves, a Woman, and the Wild is a must-read for any nature lover, wildlife enthusiast, or conservationist. 4.5 stars

[Anna Engel · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Shadow Mountain" is a beautifully written book, although I didn't care much for her ponderings on the meaning of "wild" and "dog" and "tame"—they were well-written and had great prose, but stood out like they were essays she wrote in grad school.

Ms. Askins is a born storyteller and really shines when she's recounting anecdotes. The insanity of her dogs, her early ramblings in the woods, her difficulties finding employment and affordable housing, and the quaintness of her grandmother.

Ms. Askins was largely responsible for bringing wolves back to Yellowstone, yumping and yumping through the park. For that, she should be thanked.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Renee Askins is an incredible human being and I’m so thankful she has shared her story with us. I can’t believe I’m just now reading this. Her writing is so beautiful. This book reminds me of how horrible people can behave, how we like to control everything just because we can, and how we’ve forgotten that wild is right. It’s necessary. Its magic. Wild animals are sentient beings that belong here. Free. Renee’s fight for the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone is admirable. My mind is blown by her tenacity and grit, by the obstacles she overcame and the heartache she endured. She fought until the fight was won. I’m a better person after reading her book. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Amy Doeun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to Yellowstone this summer. I actually saw wolves in Yellowstone. Continuing my tradition of looking for a book of local interest as my favorite souvenir I picked up this book at one of the local gift shops. I started reading it in the park but found it a little deep for my rushed vacation mind--I was traveling with a bunch of children.
Anyway by the time I was got home and was able to settle down a bit I was able to get into a bit more. While Askins ponders some very deep questions that I probably never would have considered without her insight. A great thought provoker.

[Marjorie Ploeger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lately I've had the best luck finding books at the thrift store that were just what my soul needed. This would be another one to add to the list. Out of all the books I've read lately this one is definitely the most inspiring. How she describes the scenery, her thoughts/feelings, and events is simply captivating. It took me longer than it should have to read it, because I would have to pause after some chapters just to fully absorb it. If you enjoy nature you will definitely appreciate reading about this amazing woman's journey with wolves and the wilderness.

[Cheryl Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is first person knowledge into the re-introduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park. I am absolutely stunned at how long it can take to cut through all the bureaucratic b.s. to accomplish what seems a purely natural undertaking in the first place. This lady spent 15 years of her young life withstanding countless setbacks and road blocks all along the way. Her story is a tremendous testimony of the deepest love one can have for our nation's wild things that are all too quickly slipping away.

[Amber Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you think this book is going to be mostly about wolves and the reintroduction of them to Yellowstone….you will be disappointed. I did come into this thinking that, but once realizing that’s now what this book was focusing on I was able to appreciate it in a different light. This book is alot about the author, and her dogs and has some small parts about lead up and final introduction of wolves to Yellowstone. Her writing is “flowery” or whatever people want to call it, but it’s beautiful. I do wish this book had more depth on wolves, however it’s still a very very good read.

[Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprised to see a book purchased spontaneously at the Jackson Hole airport turn out to be such an informative, enjoyable and engaging read. Askins had me misty-eyed at numerous points during her story, which is simultaneously remarkable and relatable (especially for someone inspired by mountains and the wild creatures that inhabit them).