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Howl: of Woman and Wolf
Commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the reintroduction of wolves to the American West, Howl follows Susan Imhoff Bird's exploration into the passions and controversies surrounding nature's most fascinating predator. At a crossroads in her own life, Bird travels around the West, talking with wolf watchers, landowners, wildlife managers, conservationists, and hunters about their understandings of what matters most, which almost always is their connection with the natural world. However, the often-conflicting issues raised by hunters, ranchers, and politicians prompt Bird's personal examination of wolf science, myths, and ethics, culminating in her conviction that wolves must be allowed to recover and thrive on our lands. Along the way, Bird begins to unleash her own wild nature, learning to howl and inviting us to do the same.
Susan Imhoff Bird finds inspiration in Utah's canyons, valleys, and water-sculpted rock. She can often be found on her bicycle or snowshoes, absorbing the wisdom of the natural world. Bird lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Susan Imhoff Bird finds inspiration in Utah's canyons, valleys, and water-sculpted rock. She can often be found on her bicycle or snowshoes, absorbing the wisdom of the natural world. Bird lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- GenresNonfictionBook Club
284 pages, Paperback
First published May 12, 2015
About the author
Susan Imhoff Bird
5 books6 followersSusan Imhoff Bird spent her formative years in Park City, Utah. She later earned her BS and MSW from the University of Utah. Travels in Asia, South America and Europe have exposed her to many different cultures and religions, and have resulted in an award-winning short story, and a book about humanitarian work in Nepal, The Constant Possibility of Grace: A Story of Love, Loss and Tools to End Poverty.
Her newest book, Howl: Of Woman and Wolf, will be released in October, 2015. Howl explores the controversy over our commitment to allowing wolves--after nearly a century of absence--to return to the landscape, and our own relationship to wildness, all as experienced by a woman searching for her own truth, her own wildness, her own voice . . . her own right to be part of the landscape.
When she's not writing she can be found on her bicycle, where her favorite route winds up a canyon filled with wildlife, from owls, hawks and songbirds, to moose, deer, porcupines, and the occasional coyote.
Her newest book, Howl: Of Woman and Wolf, will be released in October, 2015. Howl explores the controversy over our commitment to allowing wolves--after nearly a century of absence--to return to the landscape, and our own relationship to wildness, all as experienced by a woman searching for her own truth, her own wildness, her own voice . . . her own right to be part of the landscape.
When she's not writing she can be found on her bicycle, where her favorite route winds up a canyon filled with wildlife, from owls, hawks and songbirds, to moose, deer, porcupines, and the occasional coyote.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 3, 2016
Susan is a master of putting words to thoughts, feelings and experience. At times I felt guilty for being allowed to observe and feel personal experiences that surely must be sacred. The personal and harrowing life story that is interwoven into a search for understanding about a misunderstood creature was what captivated me most. I'm in awe of her strength and love. Humbled. Inspired!
I heard at least three voices in her writing style as I read the book. The voice that describes the thoughts of her soul is the one that speaks loudest to me. When Susan was blogging about her recovery from her bike accident, I was in bed, recovering from my own. She was further along in her recovery, and it was the voice of her soul (through her blog) that inspired me to heal, to persevere through pain, to know that there was a tomorrow that wasn't as bad as today. Little did I understand how prepared she was to make her recovery, having endured so much more that life had already dished out for her, to learn from and to grow. Little did she know how much her words would help me, at the time a complete stranger.
Thank you for being brave enough to share the rest of your story in a book that will touch thousands more, helping people like me who recognize your incredible gift! Please continue experiencing life, especially nature, and continue your art, putting pen to paper, touching heart and soul.
I heard at least three voices in her writing style as I read the book. The voice that describes the thoughts of her soul is the one that speaks loudest to me. When Susan was blogging about her recovery from her bike accident, I was in bed, recovering from my own. She was further along in her recovery, and it was the voice of her soul (through her blog) that inspired me to heal, to persevere through pain, to know that there was a tomorrow that wasn't as bad as today. Little did I understand how prepared she was to make her recovery, having endured so much more that life had already dished out for her, to learn from and to grow. Little did she know how much her words would help me, at the time a complete stranger.
Thank you for being brave enough to share the rest of your story in a book that will touch thousands more, helping people like me who recognize your incredible gift! Please continue experiencing life, especially nature, and continue your art, putting pen to paper, touching heart and soul.
December 23, 2015
I have a deep love for Yellowstone, and the peace and calm I feel there. I have seen wolves in the wild, and the experience is awing. So this book, set often in a place I know and love, was incredibly enjoyable for me. In Howl a local author examines the reintroduction of wolves, and the impact of that on wildlife, the ecosystem, and individuals. I enjoyed how she talks to everyone on their point of view, from ranchers to hunters to scientists to simple enthusiasts. She weaves the tale of her own personal journey into the book, as well.
April 18, 2017
This book was written by the friend of a friend and is a wonderful personal tale of her journey through the hardships in her life as juxtaposed with her study of the issues surrounding the re-introduction of wolves in the West. She is an environmentalist, although a qualified one, as she listens to all sides and finds some truth and some lies in each opposing side. She equates her personal journey to wolves and a pack and her personal story is most resonant here. My only quibble with the story is that it seems to be trying to do too much. My lyrical, poetical brain enjoyed the personal sections and then my analytical, policy brain enjoyed the wolf sections but often the segues were so brief that my brain felt a little jarred. She pulls together all the stories at the very end but less heavy wolf policy would have made the metaphors with her life story more easily grasped. I hesitate to pound her, though, because the personal sections are moving, real, and well worth the read. (note to gentle readers: some language including a few extreme instances)
November 15, 2015
A beautifully written book about the wolves of Yellowstone and the loss of a handicapped child. Bird wove her emotions and healing together with the life of the wolves, but did not overwhelm the reader with death itself. One of the better memoirs I have read recently. Would recommend to biography readers and nature enthusiasts.
October 13, 2015
Howl: Of Woman and Wolf by Susan Imhoff Bird is that rarest of reads - informative, insightful, nuanced, and paradoxically, a heart-wrenching delight. In the title, Woman comes before Wolf, and that is exactly as it should be, despite all the careful, painstaking research that went into the study of the precarious and controversial comeback of wolves into our ecosystems. Bird is an individual who has weathered some very severe traumas in her life -a biological father who abandoned her, a stepfather who said he was there for her, but only on his terms, and even then with a hovering brutality. She also “married forever” twice, only to have both marriages fail. And the most devastating blow of all, her first pregnancy with twins, only to have one die in utero and the other cripplingly handicapped.
Bird found herself drawn to the environment, to the natural, to the wild, as temporary oases of solace from her many griefs. It was that attachment that very likely interested her in the subject of wolves. Wolves are an iconic entity of the wild juxtaposed to “civilization.” They are creatures of myth and mystery, loved, hated, feared and misunderstood. Bird set out to study them as comprehensively and scientifically as possible. She also set out to study public reactions, to fully understand those whose attitude toward wolves ranged from reverence to loathing. In doing this, she found out more and more about herself, how in many ways she had been trapped as wolves have been, and also how much she yearned to be wild and free as wolves can be. In revealing that part of her story, Bird goes into the details of her upbringing, her marriages and her experience as a mother. Authentic is too mild a word to use for the pure outpouring of heart that permeates Bird’s manuscript. This is a human being of total intensity and honesty. Nothing is left out. And she manages to do this, not in a maudlin way, but in a philosophical spiritual way, even with doses of humor along the way. It is an extraordinary tour-de-force. It will leave you in tears and drained at times, laughing at other times.
By the way, the reader may find the book frustratingly disjointed as the narrative jumps between wolf and personal, past and present, research and anecdote and back again. I think this was actually done deliberately. One thing we discover that is certain about wolves is that they are predictably unpredictable. You cannot tell from one minute to the next, where they will choose to go, how they will choose to act, when they will kill – and when they will love. Bird channels her inner wolf by giving her narrative the freedom to wander, only better to let us get the whole panoply of her experience.
Read this book. I doubt you will ever have read anything else like it.
Bird found herself drawn to the environment, to the natural, to the wild, as temporary oases of solace from her many griefs. It was that attachment that very likely interested her in the subject of wolves. Wolves are an iconic entity of the wild juxtaposed to “civilization.” They are creatures of myth and mystery, loved, hated, feared and misunderstood. Bird set out to study them as comprehensively and scientifically as possible. She also set out to study public reactions, to fully understand those whose attitude toward wolves ranged from reverence to loathing. In doing this, she found out more and more about herself, how in many ways she had been trapped as wolves have been, and also how much she yearned to be wild and free as wolves can be. In revealing that part of her story, Bird goes into the details of her upbringing, her marriages and her experience as a mother. Authentic is too mild a word to use for the pure outpouring of heart that permeates Bird’s manuscript. This is a human being of total intensity and honesty. Nothing is left out. And she manages to do this, not in a maudlin way, but in a philosophical spiritual way, even with doses of humor along the way. It is an extraordinary tour-de-force. It will leave you in tears and drained at times, laughing at other times.
By the way, the reader may find the book frustratingly disjointed as the narrative jumps between wolf and personal, past and present, research and anecdote and back again. I think this was actually done deliberately. One thing we discover that is certain about wolves is that they are predictably unpredictable. You cannot tell from one minute to the next, where they will choose to go, how they will choose to act, when they will kill – and when they will love. Bird channels her inner wolf by giving her narrative the freedom to wander, only better to let us get the whole panoply of her experience.
Read this book. I doubt you will ever have read anything else like it.
February 27, 2016
A must-read for women (and men) who love the wild, inside and out. Wolves have forever captivated our imaginations and the reintroduction of red and gray wolves has revived the myths, fear, and awe of these wild, untamable animals. In HOWL, Susan Imhoff Bird presents a flawlessly documented, informative, and poetic picture of these mysterious creatures while investigating all sides of the reintroduction program. Ranchers, conservationists, environmentalists, trackers, and Forest Service staff all have their say. Communication between wildlife protectors and those who see wolves as a threat to their livestock and way of life is emphasized. We feel Imhoff Bird's bias, which is in sympathy with the conservationists, but sense her willingness to present and appreciate the opposition. The theme of her own "pack" runs concurrently through the book as she struggles to release the wildness, exuberance, and inner strength that is the true Susan Imhoff Bird, who will one day throw her head back and HOWL. She's off to a great start!
November 8, 2015
I loved Howl: of Woman and Wolf. The book is part memoir, part insightful reportage, and 100% heart wrenching and heartfelt. Bird lays bare her soul, revealing to readers the personal struggles that have led her to the study of, and deep appreciation for, the gray wolves of Yellowstone and the northern Rockies. The result is a fascinating read on both the personal and scientific levels. Readers will come away with a clear understanding of the controversies surrounding the reintroduction of the gray wolf to Yellowstone National Park and the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, as well as what it means--and what it takes--to be a strong, independent woman in today's West.
December 10, 2015
This book was a near perfect read for me. Wolves and a woman finding herself, what more could I ask for? The writing is poetic, the personal story was compelling and emotional (yes, you may cry) and the wolf study was done from a layman point of view (the author's and ours), not an overly statistical scientific viewpoint. If you feel drawn to nature (and human nature) then you will love this beautiful story.
December 20, 2015
The author loves wolves and it shows in this wonderfully spiritual book. While dealing with personal tragedy the author remains faithful to her love of outdoors as she presents a balanced look at the re-introduction effort of the wolf to Yellowstone and other places. An honest look at why environment is important.
November 21, 2015
We read this book for book group and loved it. Rich text, insightful and deeply personal--Bird fully explores the nature of wolves and the humans that interact with them, by choice or circumstance. She interweaves her own quest for self discovery with honesty and insight. This is a great read.
July 31, 2018
Memoirs have this tendency to turn into a pity party. This one does not. It just takes what the life offers and moves on.
It's a threefold story. One - the author's memoir, told in flashbacks. Two - her journey into Yellowstone to watch wild wolves, and to other places, in order to hear the other side of the conflict, from ranchers to hunters. Three - OR-7's journey to find a mate and establish his own territory, told at the beginning of every chapter, from the wolf's perspective.
It's refreshing to read about wolves from this point of view - not of a biologist or an environmentalist. Just a passing through wolfwatcher, who doesn't claim to be an expert, but who wants to learn more.
Beautifully written and thought provoking, part memoir, part nature writing that, at times, reads like poetry.
It's a threefold story. One - the author's memoir, told in flashbacks. Two - her journey into Yellowstone to watch wild wolves, and to other places, in order to hear the other side of the conflict, from ranchers to hunters. Three - OR-7's journey to find a mate and establish his own territory, told at the beginning of every chapter, from the wolf's perspective.
It's refreshing to read about wolves from this point of view - not of a biologist or an environmentalist. Just a passing through wolfwatcher, who doesn't claim to be an expert, but who wants to learn more.
Beautifully written and thought provoking, part memoir, part nature writing that, at times, reads like poetry.
February 18, 2021
Susan does an incredible job introducing us to the controversy around the reintroduction of wolves in the NW. She interviews people on both sides and shares the experience in great detail. She provides a lot of history and context. I found it valuable and insightful.
In between, she inserts paragraphs of her personal struggles. While I am grateful for her vulnerability, it wasn't clear the connections. She tried to tie it up at the end, but I felt that was left a bit rough and disjointed.
Overall, I enjoyed her book. I felt I understood both sides and found myself tagging pages to further my research and interest in wolves.
In between, she inserts paragraphs of her personal struggles. While I am grateful for her vulnerability, it wasn't clear the connections. She tried to tie it up at the end, but I felt that was left a bit rough and disjointed.
Overall, I enjoyed her book. I felt I understood both sides and found myself tagging pages to further my research and interest in wolves.
January 30, 2020
I didn’t mind this book, although the rest of my book club felt that the author was yet another well-to-do white woman with the luxury of time and money to thoroughly explore her existential angst. ( a la Eat, Pray, Love)
Others were disturbed by her lack of preparation for her trips to Yellowstone Park and environs, and annoyed by her pestering of people who were trying to do their jobs with the wolf studies.
That being said, I must give her props for being frank, and not trying to whitewash her actions.
And, many of the descriptions of the scenery and wildlife were compelling.
Others were disturbed by her lack of preparation for her trips to Yellowstone Park and environs, and annoyed by her pestering of people who were trying to do their jobs with the wolf studies.
That being said, I must give her props for being frank, and not trying to whitewash her actions.
And, many of the descriptions of the scenery and wildlife were compelling.
March 2, 2016
I won this book through GoodReads First Read program.
I learned a lot about wolves from this book. I didn't know that until about 20 years ago there really weren't any wolves left in the United States. They were then legislated back into the country. I would have thought that everyone would be happy to have them back. Not so. Hunters and ranchers are not big fans of the wolf. Bird does a good job of getting both viewpoints in. She also describes in detail much of her wolf watching. There are quite a few wolf watchers out there. Wolves can't be hunted in Yellowstone so those packs in the park are protected.
Throughout each chapter Bird tells us about her life and its ups and downs too. Her marriages and divorces, her children including a child with special needs and a biking accident she has. The problem with all of this is that it is sprinkled in with no pattern or plan. Something will be said about the wolves and then a paragraph is thrown in about one of her marriages. No rhyme or reason. The chapters have no organization either.
Good stuff in the book but organization of the ideas to show some kind of theme are missing.
I learned a lot about wolves from this book. I didn't know that until about 20 years ago there really weren't any wolves left in the United States. They were then legislated back into the country. I would have thought that everyone would be happy to have them back. Not so. Hunters and ranchers are not big fans of the wolf. Bird does a good job of getting both viewpoints in. She also describes in detail much of her wolf watching. There are quite a few wolf watchers out there. Wolves can't be hunted in Yellowstone so those packs in the park are protected.
Throughout each chapter Bird tells us about her life and its ups and downs too. Her marriages and divorces, her children including a child with special needs and a biking accident she has. The problem with all of this is that it is sprinkled in with no pattern or plan. Something will be said about the wolves and then a paragraph is thrown in about one of her marriages. No rhyme or reason. The chapters have no organization either.
Good stuff in the book but organization of the ideas to show some kind of theme are missing.
December 26, 2015
If you want a personal introduction to the wolf experts in the West, and a fine exploration of the issues wolves stir in the human heart, "Howl" is the book for you. Bird weaves a large, potent story of her quest for wildness in the Rockies, in relationships, and in the trials and rewards of motherhood. There is an urgency and commitment to the writing that strikes me as the precise reason why we need more women's voices in literature. I loved her short version of Joseph Campbell's views on being human, presented near the end of the book. This and many other inclusions were fresh and strong for me. I found myself turning pages and living in Bird's wolf-seeking quest for days. Days of good company, they were, that opened my mind and my world.
March 12, 2016
Too all-over-the-place for me. She obviously wanted to tie two important aspects of her life together, but in my opinion, it just didn't work. I'll keep my opinions about her wolf "impartiality" to myself.
***
20 Books in 2016 Challenge - Book with water (snow) on the cover.
Extreme Book Nerd Challenge - Book set in this region.
***
20 Books in 2016 Challenge - Book with water (snow) on the cover.
Extreme Book Nerd Challenge - Book set in this region.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2016
there may have been insight if I read further but I don't suffer memoirs lightly
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews