Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award A New York Times Notable Book Winner of the Texas Book Award and the Oklahoma Book Award This New York Times bestseller and stunning historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West “is nothing short of a revelation…will leave dust and blood on your … control of the American West “is nothing short of a revelation…will leave dust and blood on your jeans” (The New York Times Book Review).
Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches.
Although readers may be more familiar with the tribal names Apache and Sioux, it was in fact the legendary fighting ability of the Comanches that determined when the American West opened up. Comanche boys became adept bareback riders by age six; full Comanche braves were considered the best horsemen who ever rode. They were so masterful at war and so skillful with their arrows and lances that they stopped the northern drive of colonial Spain from Mexico and halted the French expansion westward from Louisiana. White settlers arriving in Texas from the eastern United States were surprised to find the frontier being rolled backward by Comanches incensed by the invasion of their tribal lands.
The war with the Comanches lasted four decades, in effect holding up the development of the new American nation. Gwynne’s exhilarating account delivers a sweeping narrative that encompasses Spanish colonialism, the Civil War, the destruction of the buffalo herds, and the arrival of the railroads, and the amazing story of Cynthia Ann Parker and her son Quanah—a historical feast for anyone interested in how the United States came into being.
Hailed by critics, S. C. Gwynne’s account of these events is meticulously researched, intellectually provocative, and, above all, thrillingly told. Empire of the Summer Moon announces him as a major new writer of American history.
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Great historical perspective of the Comanche people and the rise and fall of the horseman empire they built across the southern American plains ending with the life and times of their last great leader, Quanah Parker. Gwynn’s non-academic style lets it read like a novel.
Wow! All I can say is what a way for a guy to go out. Quanah Parker is an unbelievable character! I absolutely devoured this book, and sent a copy to my dad, who read the book in two days. Fascinating read.
An excellent book if you like reading about the history of the USA during the 1800’s as related to the Comanche Indian tribe. On Amazon 95% have rated it 3 Stars or more (92% four or five stars). It is an interesting read and worth the time spent. Most of the one or two stars critiques are about how badly the white races have treated the Native American Indians or about Gwynne’s ability to write such a book and call it “history.” I agree that overall the history of this country in its treatment of Native Americans is deplorable but critiques based on what has happened in the last hundred years have little to do with this book.
I have recommended this book to many friends. We read and discussed this book in our book club. It’s filled with history, human tragedy and personal stories.
If you haven’t read this book, your knowledge of American history–particularly that of the West–is incomplete. Little of the history of the American West in this book was ever taught when I was in school. What a shame! I highly recommend this book.
Changed my perception of the American West pre-European and American expansion. Learning of the power and impact of the Comanche Nation reenforced the concept of American Indian agency and self-determination. It further enlightened me to the early pioneering efforts in Texas and the Southwest, when I felt much more knowledgeable of settlement and expansion through the Great Plains and Rockies post Civil War. Great read.
The title of S.C. Gwynne’s book Empire of the Summer Moon refers to the Comanche preference to raid farms and settlements during the summer when the moon was full. In fact, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, settlers in Texas referred to a full moon as a “Comanche Moon,” and they learned not only to dread the summer nocturnal attacks, but also to shelter in place with arms at the ready. Gwynne’s excellent history explores the brutal last few decades of terror on the American frontier and the subsequent end of the Comanche tribe as a force on the North American high plains.
The focus of Gwynne’s book is Quanah Parker, the last wartime Comanche chief, who ironically was the son of Cynthia Parker, the daughter of a Texas family who was kidnapped at age nine near present-day Waco and brought up by the Comanche. Quanah was the son and grandson of chieftains of the Nokoni band of Comanche, which operated in present-day Oklahoma and Texas, following the great southern herd of buffalo which numbered in the tens of millions in the mid-19th century. Quanah went on to become the head warrior of the Quahadi band of Comanche. Eventually all remaining Comanche groups banded together as their numbers dwindled, and Quanah was viewed as the undisputed leader. After surrendering, the Comanche were moved to a reservation at Ft. Sill, OK where Quanah lived out his days in relative peace.
Gwynne’s story is complex and open to differing interpretations. Certainly, the story of the American conquest of the native tribes is brutal and sad. But no less brutal was the way the Comanche conducted warfare against all of their enemies. As Gwynne points out, the Comanche drove other southern plains Indians south and west. So merciless on their enemies were they, that at one point they forced the Apache to seek shelter behind the walls of Spanish missionaries in present day New Mexico in the 18th century. The Comanche engaged in psychological warfare, often torturing and killing in ways that bely description on paper. When the Anglo settlers arrived in the early 19th century, they hit a barrier across central Texas. Suffice it to say, there was never any serious chance of peace between the Comanche and the U.S. government.
Gwynne describes the rise of the Texas Rangers in the 1840s-50s and some of their early leaders such as Capt. Jack Hays, who went after the Comanche in the same way they went after the Anglo interlopers: hard and without mercy. After the Civil War and the return of Federal troops to Texas in 1867, Col. Ranald Mackenzie pursued the Comanche relentlessly, destroying the last band’s winter camp in Palo Duro Canyon in 1874. Interestingly, Mackenzie was one of the few Union officers willing to lead black soldiers in the field, and he did so in his rout of the Comanche, employing troopers of the 24th Infantry—also known as the Buffalo Soldiers—and Black Seminole scouts from the 4th Cavalry. The ultimate kryptonite for the Comanche however was no single man or army, but the decision to go after what General Sheridan termed the Comanche’s “commissary.” When hunters had destroyed the last of the great buffalo herds, the Comanche and all other plain Indians were finished.
Many reviewers will be quick to condemn Gwynne’s book as the glorification of what amounted to genocide by the U.S. government. But because it was wrong does not mean that it did not happen, and that it shouldn’t be discussed. Gwynne employs considerable skill (and research) to paint an accurate picture of the Comanche in Texas. And anyone who lives in Texas or who has had the opportunity to visit the Llano Estacado will enjoy Gwynne’s beautiful descriptions of the region as it once was.
The Comanches roamed the part of Texas I grew up in—very interesting historical look at the Texas frontier and beyond.
It was very well written and I learned much that I didn’t know. I highly recommend it.
If you enjoy indigenous history, you will enjoy this book. It is about the tragic end of the life of the Comanches, their fight for their land, their families and their way of life.
Important history
Fascinating history
One of the great narrative histories. Many try, few have done it this well. No cliches, not overwrought prose. Very good.
It tells a story of how bad the indians in the west were treated by the US Government and also how violent they were. History at its best as it tells how it was and doesn’t sugar coat it or make it glamorous. It is also the history of one man, Quanah Parker and his adjustment tp changing times.
This was informative reading about the plight of the Indian tribes at the hands of the white race
Learned a lot about the Comanche people that I didn’t know. Very well researched
A well written account that I think was fairly balanced in presentation of the perspectives of the native Americans and the new comers (settlers). Enjoyed the details regarding the many tribes that occupied the western United States. A very good read.
This was one of the most eye-opening books I have read. The author lays out this real life book regarding the history of the Comanche Indians in Oklahoma almost as a mystery. The last section, added after he had completed the interviews that related to the book’s main story, is not only fascinating but also surprising in that it turns around his earlier conclusions. This book will inform readers of the terrible treatment that the Comanches received and lead to greater understanding of the fear and hesitancy that many Native American Indians have in dealing with white people up until current times.
The topic of the Plains tribes and especially the Comanche is fascinating and helps you understand all those bits in the Western movies you saw about the settlers and the Indians. Hard to put down. It was a hard world back then and glad I didn’t live in those times. The details of the lives described make you appreciate what you have today. The author is a great writer and keeps you involved in the story all the way through. It is hard to imagine that history can keep you so glued to the story line.
Well researched, grounded in reality and holds your interest. Love the history.