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A Buffalo in the House: The True Story of a Man, an Animal, and the American West
A sprawling suburban house in Santa Fe is not the kind of home where a buffalo normally roams, but Veryl Goodnight and Roger Brooks are not your ordinary animal lovers. Over a hundred years after Veryl's ancestors, Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight, hand-raised two baby buffalo to help save the species from extinction, the sculptor and her husband adopt an orphaned buffalo calf of their own. Against a backdrop of the old American West, A Buffalo in the House tells the story of a household situation beyond any sitcom writer's wildest dreams.
Charlie has no idea he's a buffalo and Roger has no idea just how strong the bond between man and buffalo can be. In the historical shadow of the near-extermination of a majestic and misunderstood animal, Roger sets out to save just one buffalo.
Written in the tradition of Ian Frazier's Great Plains and the work of Garrison Keillor and Bill Bryson, A Buffalo in the House tells an important, uplifting story about one animal's ability to touch human lives and reconnect people of all ages to the vanished past.
Charlie has no idea he's a buffalo and Roger has no idea just how strong the bond between man and buffalo can be. In the historical shadow of the near-extermination of a majestic and misunderstood animal, Roger sets out to save just one buffalo.
Written in the tradition of Ian Frazier's Great Plains and the work of Garrison Keillor and Bill Bryson, A Buffalo in the House tells an important, uplifting story about one animal's ability to touch human lives and reconnect people of all ages to the vanished past.
242 pages, Hardcover
First published June 10, 2008
19 people are currently reading
265 people want to read
About the author
R.D. Rosen
20 books32 followersRichard Dean Rosen's writing career spans mystery novels, narrative nonfiction, humor books, and television. Strike Three You're Dead (1984), the first in Rosen's series featuring major league baseball player Harvey Blissberg, won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America in 1985. Blissberg's adventures continued in four sequels, including Fadeaway (1986) and Saturday Night Dead (1988), which drew on Rosen's stint as a writer for Saturday Night Live.
Rosen's three nonfiction books include Psychobabble (1979), inspired by the term he coined, and A Buffalo in the House: The True Story of a Man, an Animal, and the American West (2007). Over the past decade, he co-created and co-wrote a bestselling series of humor books: Bad Cat, Bad Dog, Bad Baby, and Bad President.
He attended Brown University and graduated from Harvard College.
Rosen's three nonfiction books include Psychobabble (1979), inspired by the term he coined, and A Buffalo in the House: The True Story of a Man, an Animal, and the American West (2007). Over the past decade, he co-created and co-wrote a bestselling series of humor books: Bad Cat, Bad Dog, Bad Baby, and Bad President.
He attended Brown University and graduated from Harvard College.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
November 5, 2022
I would never have picked this book to read but a friend gave it to me after she read it, so I decided to give it a try. It’s an unconventional yet heartwarming true story about a couple that took in a baby buffalo. The early intent was to only have him for a while but ‘Charlie’ ended up being with them throughout his life as a pet. However, the story is as much about the history of passionate people trying to keep the buffalo from becoming extinct as well as the terrible treatment of buffaloes, especially in Montana.
November 2, 2015
Ya - this book was pretty awesome as far as describing what it's like to live with a wild animal. I can't read the ones that are about dogs and wolves because it hits too close to home, and I end up crying like an idiot. I can handle raising a buffalo though.
There were some parts that reminded me a lot of the relationship Kiera and I shared. My chest did constrict, and there were tears. It's different living with a wild or partially wild animal, and a relationship that develops that one can never capture with a fully domesticated animal. Kiera taught me things that my other "real" dogs could never teach me about the world and strength and wild sort of joy - I think this is similar to what the couple went through with their little buffalo.
I don't think I'll develop this type of relationship with the little field mouse that Eion and I have caught last week in the sink and are now raising in an old hamster cage. I have discovered that loving wheels appear to be an intrinsic trait in rodents. Within 12 hours of capturing the little guy, now named Fouse Mouse, he won't stop with the wheel. By the gods, he loves it.
There were some parts that reminded me a lot of the relationship Kiera and I shared. My chest did constrict, and there were tears. It's different living with a wild or partially wild animal, and a relationship that develops that one can never capture with a fully domesticated animal. Kiera taught me things that my other "real" dogs could never teach me about the world and strength and wild sort of joy - I think this is similar to what the couple went through with their little buffalo.
I don't think I'll develop this type of relationship with the little field mouse that Eion and I have caught last week in the sink and are now raising in an old hamster cage. I have discovered that loving wheels appear to be an intrinsic trait in rodents. Within 12 hours of capturing the little guy, now named Fouse Mouse, he won't stop with the wheel. By the gods, he loves it.
January 5, 2009
This is far from a frivoulous book!(the buffalo did not actually live IN the house very long) It is an amazing story of the bond that can occurr between a human and an animal--perhaps the animal is unusual-or perhaps it would happen often with the kind of care that this human gave the animal. In any case, it is riveting, touching and emotionally trying..and the book gives an excellent history lesson about the species and time surrounding early settlement in the West. I am so glad I happened on it
February 10, 2021
A quick, enjoyable read about the history of bison in America and one man's sweet friendship with a disabled buffalo (which, tbh, is GOALS). Thanks, Alyssa Hart, for sharing!
August 2, 2022
I'm a sucker for a good animal story, and the premise of the book seemed like it would be cute and have potential for animal-vs-human shenanigans. I mean, how could a baby buffalo in the house NOT cause chaos? And yes, there's plenty of cute to be had here.... but there's also a brief overview of the history of the American bison, and how they were nearly driven to extinction. And that makes for a fascinating, if heartbreaking, story.
Roger and Veryl adopted Charlie, an orphaned bison calf, for a very specific purpose -- so he could serve as a model for Veryl's newest sculpture. But despite their eventual plans to return Charlie to the ranch where he was born, Roger finds himself falling in love with this creature, and ends up adopting him for good. And Charlie, who has no idea he's a buffalo, is content to follow along in Roger's footsteps like the world's biggest puppy... until an accident threatens his life and drives home just how strong Roger and Charlie's bond really is.
The story of Charlie is fairly typical of a lot of "human raises an animal" stories -- the bond between the human and the animal in question, medical emergencies, antics that end up destroying property, etc. It makes for a cute, often funny read, though it can have its gutwrenching moments as well. And it's written well for the most part, balancing out Charlie's story with the greater story of the bison themselves... as well as the story of one of Veryl's ancestors, who played a key role in saving the bison from extinction.
Serving as a backdrop for Charlie's story, the history of the American bison is a tragic one -- this book pulls no punches in showing how the United States nearly drove the bison to extinction out of greed and carelessness, and how ranchers, politicians, and ignorant people continue to hamper efforts to conserve this magnificent animal. It can be a discouraging story, but it does open one's eyes to just how precarious a place these creatures hold in the American wilderness.
"A Buffalo in the House" is more than the story of an animal and the people who raise them -- it's a brief, but powerful, history of the bison themselves. And while by no means comprehensive -- the book's less than three hundred pages long -- it's still a fascinating look at these beasts and the people who strive to save them.
Roger and Veryl adopted Charlie, an orphaned bison calf, for a very specific purpose -- so he could serve as a model for Veryl's newest sculpture. But despite their eventual plans to return Charlie to the ranch where he was born, Roger finds himself falling in love with this creature, and ends up adopting him for good. And Charlie, who has no idea he's a buffalo, is content to follow along in Roger's footsteps like the world's biggest puppy... until an accident threatens his life and drives home just how strong Roger and Charlie's bond really is.
The story of Charlie is fairly typical of a lot of "human raises an animal" stories -- the bond between the human and the animal in question, medical emergencies, antics that end up destroying property, etc. It makes for a cute, often funny read, though it can have its gutwrenching moments as well. And it's written well for the most part, balancing out Charlie's story with the greater story of the bison themselves... as well as the story of one of Veryl's ancestors, who played a key role in saving the bison from extinction.
Serving as a backdrop for Charlie's story, the history of the American bison is a tragic one -- this book pulls no punches in showing how the United States nearly drove the bison to extinction out of greed and carelessness, and how ranchers, politicians, and ignorant people continue to hamper efforts to conserve this magnificent animal. It can be a discouraging story, but it does open one's eyes to just how precarious a place these creatures hold in the American wilderness.
"A Buffalo in the House" is more than the story of an animal and the people who raise them -- it's a brief, but powerful, history of the bison themselves. And while by no means comprehensive -- the book's less than three hundred pages long -- it's still a fascinating look at these beasts and the people who strive to save them.
July 7, 2021
Engaging storytelling that weaves one couple's efforts to rear an orphaned bison calf with the story of some of the efforts by settlers and Native Americans to save the bison after the rest of the settler colonizers of North America did their best to exterminate both the native people and the native ruminant, and also a glimpse into present day conflicts in the Mountain West over the future of bison.
My rating is middling because it made me so furious how much white people fucked shit up and the author kept excusing it. The couple at the center of the story kept getting the hero limelight, but they, ignorantly, maimed and disabled this bison by letting him totally imprint on them and then left him unceremoniously with unfamiliar bison after he got too big, and he ended up with spinal damage. They nursed him back to mobility but the damage was too great and that compounded with respiratory illness caused by hauling him around in a trailer led him to die at age 3.
It just pissed me off that all the white saviors in this book are allowed to slough off the damage they cause and just bask in applause for their good intentions which STILL led to bison dying or existing only as a partial remnant of what once was.
The author's view of Indigenous people was particularly grating, and he clearly still is drawn into the mythos of the West even as he tries very hard to puncture it and advocate for bison.
But I did learn a lot about the work a handful of people did to keep the bison alive, and I feel love for Charlie the bison in particular after reading his story, and I have a lot of understanding and respect for the species as a whole. I had just visited Yellowstone for the first time when I read this book, so the size and stolid nature of the animals was fresh in my mind.
My rating is middling because it made me so furious how much white people fucked shit up and the author kept excusing it. The couple at the center of the story kept getting the hero limelight, but they, ignorantly, maimed and disabled this bison by letting him totally imprint on them and then left him unceremoniously with unfamiliar bison after he got too big, and he ended up with spinal damage. They nursed him back to mobility but the damage was too great and that compounded with respiratory illness caused by hauling him around in a trailer led him to die at age 3.
It just pissed me off that all the white saviors in this book are allowed to slough off the damage they cause and just bask in applause for their good intentions which STILL led to bison dying or existing only as a partial remnant of what once was.
The author's view of Indigenous people was particularly grating, and he clearly still is drawn into the mythos of the West even as he tries very hard to puncture it and advocate for bison.
But I did learn a lot about the work a handful of people did to keep the bison alive, and I feel love for Charlie the bison in particular after reading his story, and I have a lot of understanding and respect for the species as a whole. I had just visited Yellowstone for the first time when I read this book, so the size and stolid nature of the animals was fresh in my mind.
July 10, 2021
Prompt: An author who uses initials.
A Buffalo in the House by R. D. Rosen
This is the story of a day old buffalo calf, specifically a bison calf, which found itself in the home of Roger and Veryl to be hand reared until it was ready to be released in the wild. Veryl uses it as a model for her sculpture and christened it George, in the memory of her ancestor Charles Goodnight, who had attempted successfully to bring back the bison from extinction.
Along with the story of George the calf, we also learn the history of the bison in America, where "the prairie without buffalo
is like an ocean without waves”.
The story of George the calf is a story of love and loss, much like its forefathers. Though wild animals are unpredictable, they are able to reciprocate love and care and provide immense joy by their very presence.
A Buffalo in the House by R. D. Rosen
This is the story of a day old buffalo calf, specifically a bison calf, which found itself in the home of Roger and Veryl to be hand reared until it was ready to be released in the wild. Veryl uses it as a model for her sculpture and christened it George, in the memory of her ancestor Charles Goodnight, who had attempted successfully to bring back the bison from extinction.
Along with the story of George the calf, we also learn the history of the bison in America, where "the prairie without buffalo
is like an ocean without waves”.
The story of George the calf is a story of love and loss, much like its forefathers. Though wild animals are unpredictable, they are able to reciprocate love and care and provide immense joy by their very presence.
August 9, 2019
Engaging, informative and very personal book....touching on micro and macro buffalo matters.
It's the story of Charlie the house buffalo, subject of a sculpture series. It's the story of the tragedy of the Plains....the buffalo whose grazing is different from cattle and does not kill the grass. The tragedy of the the Plains that took land suited to grass and buffalo and turned it into a Dust Bowl. The tragedy of current mis-management of land and animals and the efforts of a few to preserve something of the magnificence that once was the buffalo.
It's a story of love and courage and doing what's right, because it is the right thing to do.
I need to go back to Palo Duro Canyon.
It's the story of Charlie the house buffalo, subject of a sculpture series. It's the story of the tragedy of the Plains....the buffalo whose grazing is different from cattle and does not kill the grass. The tragedy of the the Plains that took land suited to grass and buffalo and turned it into a Dust Bowl. The tragedy of current mis-management of land and animals and the efforts of a few to preserve something of the magnificence that once was the buffalo.
It's a story of love and courage and doing what's right, because it is the right thing to do.
I need to go back to Palo Duro Canyon.
May 20, 2019
The story of the American Bison is like many other lessons from history, sad and maddening. But, this special Bison named Charlie captured the hearts of many, especially his owner, Roger. A tremendous undertaking raising a baby bison calf at home. The book meanders into different people's stories related to the care of Charlie as well as launching into the battle for the precarious situation of preserving Bison in America. I admire the love and dedication Roger and his wife had for Charlie, cried my eyes out at times, and now I want a buffalo.
June 28, 2020
a talented writer, intimate descriptions of the people and the animal, touching emotions and informing us at the same time. He intersperses the recent intimate story with flashbacks to the late 19th century to tell the much larger story of the Great Slaughter of almost all these magnificent animals, which preceded the near elimination of the coast redwood tree and today's continuing destruction of species by every decade of human consumption. And the two stories end up tied together in a curious way. I am a nature lover and this is one of the more engaging books I have read.
October 16, 2020
This was truly an incredible story. Ultimately, I found it heart-breaking, infuriating and depressing. The history of the attempt to send the buffalo species to extinction (alongside the slaughter of the American Indian) ... made me want to scream.
The unexpected and untimely death of the leading character buffalo was a shocker that I didn't foresee. I had been planning to send of copy of this to someone for a gift, but the sadness of this true life story has me reconsidering. I probably will not.
The unexpected and untimely death of the leading character buffalo was a shocker that I didn't foresee. I had been planning to send of copy of this to someone for a gift, but the sadness of this true life story has me reconsidering. I probably will not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2018
This is a story about the American West that takes off from our relationship to the buffalo but goes far beyond. "From the story of one stray baby bison and the family that took him in, this is in actuality a sweeping history of the American frontier - of the people who tried to destroy it and the ones determined to save it...." (Jane Kramer, The New Yorker) It is a terrific book, well written, heartbreaking, and inspiring as well. I learned a lot.
May 4, 2021
I am having a hard time reviewing A Buffalo in the House by R D Rosen. Reading is fantastic for making us feel things but let's be honest it can also be a wonderful insulator. A Buffalo in the House will knock down your emotional defenses. It is a fascinating tale of living with one bison in particular that is inextricably intertwined with the fate of the species as a whole. This is well written non-fiction and so the added bonus of actually learning something is present.
August 26, 2020
I love animals and their stories. I've recently read about wolves, dogs, cats, birds, and a porcupine. A baby buffalo being raised by humans? Yes please! I feel like this book had so much promise. But the humans are boring and even Charlie-centric stories are kind of flat. In particular, the "dialogue" is completely forced, lame, and made up.
November 28, 2020
Parts of this book made me cry - don't all animal books though? - but I do worry that others may read it and think, "Oh, I want a baby buffalo!" Charlie was extraordinary, but bison remain wild animals.
November 28, 2020
Parts of this book made me cry - don't all animal books though? - but I do worry that others may read it and think, "Oh, I want a baby buffalo!" Charlie was extraordinary, but bison remain wild animals.
December 30, 2021
Interesting, nonfiction, story of Roger Brooks, Veryl Goodnight, and a bison named Charlie.
Good story of a man and an emotional connection with a buffalo they raise from a few days old. Lots of interesting history of the buffalo/bison in the U.S. West.
Good story of a man and an emotional connection with a buffalo they raise from a few days old. Lots of interesting history of the buffalo/bison in the U.S. West.
May 7, 2022
A well-blended mix of information about the past treatment of the buffalo, the current contentions about free-roaming buffalo, the future of pure buffalo, and one person's tight relationship with a hand-raised orphan buffalo calf named Charlie. An interesting read.
May 18, 2022
Oh, this was both educational and fun to read....it reminded me a bit of other animal stories that touch your heart as they are read about. It combines the story of the Goodnights of Texas, with the story of the buffalo/bison of the US and the current status as of 2005 in Yellowstone/MT bison.
July 10, 2022
Fun read about a couple who end up raising a buffalo and becoming attached as if it were a child. Also learned quite a bit about buffalo history and ongoing struggles to protect and maintain the few existing bison herds remaining in the U.S.
July 31, 2025
I greatly enjoyed this true story about a couple who decided to foster a buffalo calf, and got much more than they bargained for. It also tells the sad story of how buffalo have been treated in the U.S.
September 22, 2025
This was a pretty interesting book. I certainly learned something about bison, and the characters were interesting. It is non-fiction and the writing was pretty good. It could have used some editing, particularly at the end, to make the story more coherent and compelling.
August 5, 2017
Not really worth the effort.
August 31, 2017
"No one was going to let a small thing like 30, 40 50 million buffalo get in the way of a destiny as manifest as America's."
October 2, 2018
3.5 stars.
October 30, 2018
interesting to read about the buffalo/bison. I didn't realize how many buffalo were around 150 years ago.
April 22, 2022
A really sweet, enjoyable story. Perfect for anyone who loves animals.
January 1, 2024
Lovely story about the buffalo although the part about killing bison from Yellowstone was maddening.
September 18, 2024
Read this for one of my classes and now I want a buffalo
July 1, 2019
6/10 ⭐️ I’ve definitely gone down a rabbit hole to read anything American Southwest related and this book was way down in that hole! A Buffalo in the House: The True Story of A Man, An Animal, and the American West by R. D. Rosen is a mix of an endearing animal story and an expose of the plight of buffalo in the United States. The basis of the story starts with Charlie, an orphaned buffalo who is hand raised by a couple outside of Santa Fe NM . He is no ordinary buffalo; he’s got some personality! So it’s a basic story about the bond that develops between a wild animal and a human. I’m kind of a sucker for that kind of story. But it’s also a deep dive into the history and present of the decimation of the buffalo in the American West. That part is sad and something I knew little about. I liked this book and was perfect for my trip to the Southwest a few weeks ago. It gave me another perspective to fill in the puzzle of the American Southwest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews