Thanks to NetGalley and University of Chicago Press for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Between seeing Ken Burns’ The National Parks documentary and taking environmental science classes in college, I was aware of some of the issues that face parks like Yellowstone. Robert B. Keiter strikes a balance as he narrates 150 years of grizzly bear comebacks, wolf re-introductions, and courtroom battles over bison. He concludes that stakeholders can still find common ground when it comes to our nation’s oldest national park.

This book is very policy-rich and reference-heavy, so at times it felt kind of textbook-ish, which I don’t mind because the subject matter interests me. I found myself most interested in the re-introduction of the wolf to Yellowstone simply because they’re such a maligned creature. However, as is seen by the data collected, the animals are part of an ecosystem which allows for their existence; wolves are not just killing every animal they encounter, maintaining a balance that keeps populations in the park at a normal level.

I still find it crazy that for decades, the National Park Service would just let bears scavenge at dumps, which encouraged people to hang out at the dump to see the animals. It gives shades of the hilarious John Candy and Dan Aykroyd movie, The Great Outdoors. Thankfully, national parks no longer do this.


Overall, this book was very interesting considering the fact that our nation’s precious commodity, National Parks, are under attack by our very government. There is a threat to sell off public lands. Additionally, the number of rangers and caretakers of the parks are being slashed. This leaves one wondering if these national treasures will survive.