Of Wolves and Men

A few years ago I signed up to audit an environmental literature class. I knew and loved the professor and the description of the class sounded interesting. I bought all the required books and attended the first class, excited by the syllabus, before dropping it to give myself more time to write. One of the required books was Barry Holstrun Lopez's Of Wolves and Men. Even though this book sounded the most interesting to me, I never picked it up until now.

Lopez's book is packed with interesting information about wolves collected from personal experience (his and others') research and examining myths and legends. Wolves are fascinating creatures and the book is a comprehensive look at this animal-- typical and atypical behaviors as well as the social structure of packs. What I found most compelling was when Lopez examined humans' relationship with wolves and how that has evolved. Lopez's ability to nudge the reader to examine how people feel about this animal and how they allow their feelings to be played out, is a major strength of this book. I'd recommend it not only to those who'd like to learn more about wolves, but anyone interested in ecology and wildlife preservation as well as human behavior.