Great Plains BISON

I was bracing for a dry history, but the way it moves from the original herds to the brink of extinction keeps the narrative urgent. The chapter on the near-extinction in the late nineteenth century alone is worth the read.

The way it interweaves the prairie ecology with the bison's near extinction in the 1800s makes the history feel urgent, not dry. I’ve already dog-eared half the pages for the vivid details on herd origins.

I’m only halfway through, but the way it layers the ecological history with the cultural story of the bison is exactly what I was hoping for. The chapter on the near-extinction period is brutal and compelling, and it makes you appreciate the herds’ original scale even more.