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Wolfish
Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear | Erica Berry
7 posts | 2 read | 10 to read
An original and probing debut work of nonfiction by a brilliant new writer, rooted in her years-long quest to study the cultural legacy of the wolf In this enthralling, kaleidoscopic exploration of wolves both real and symbolic, Erica Berry weaves historic and scientific findings alongside criticism, journalism, and memoir to illuminate the strands of our cultural constructions of predator and prey, and what it means to navigate a world in which we can be both. From 17th-century Europeans referring to mysterious bodily sores as wolves, to contemporary xenophobia about wolves crossing national borders, wolves have long been made to carry our most entrenched sociopolitical, environmental, and bodily fears. Intimate and thought-provoking, Wolfish is a lyrical inquiry into the relationship between humans and wolves, anchored in the dual stories of one legendary tagged wolf, OR-7, and the author. Charting OR-7s long-distance solo journey after he leaves his pack in northeastern Oregon beside the authors own roaming trajectory away from her Oregon home, Wolfish wrestles with inherited narratives around fear, danger, and the body. From her grandfathers sheep farm to a wolf sanctuary on an aristocratic English estate, Erica Berry untangles binaries of predator and prey, self and other, and wild and domestic, finding new expressions for how to be a brave woman, human, and animal in our warming world. Perfect for readers of cultural criticism, environmental writing, Rebecca Solnit, H is for Hawk, or anybody trying to navigate a world that is often scary. A timely and necessary book for current and future generations.
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review
monalyisha
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Pickpick

I‘d imagine it‘s difficult to maintain a tight organizational principle and condense your thoughts when your book hinges on an epiphany about how everything is interconnected. But imagine?! Berry would‘ve been unstoppable! As it is, her concept is phenomenal and there are some deeply thoughtful passages and beautiful sentences. If you like nature writing, and you‘re a patient reader (or listener)…👇🏻

monalyisha 1/1:…who‘s okay with just being along for the ride (or the loping journey across forest & tundra), this philosophical (and fairly academic yet personal) book about wolves, fear, anxiety, gender, and climate justice might be for you. 1mo
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quote
monalyisha
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“To love anyone, anything, means accepting the limits of your own control.”

AnnCrystal 💕🐇💝. 1mo
dabbe 🖤 1mo
54 likes2 comments
quote
monalyisha
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“We inherit our biological families and decide how close to keep them. We have chosen families only if we try.”

Pictured 📸:
Chosen family (who deserve more of my time & attention).

Aims42 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕 1mo
KadaGul ❤️🫶❤️🥰🫂🫂 1mo
AnnCrystal 😎👍💝. 1mo
See All 6 Comments
kspenmoll Just adore this! 😀💖 1mo
BiblioLitten I needed to read this quote today. 💕 1mo
dabbe 🖤🧡🖤 1mo
64 likes6 comments
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monalyisha
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“To understand an animal exists neither to kill you nor cuddle you is to untangle your ego from its life.”

AnnCrystal 🐺🥲💝💝💝. 2mo
42 likes1 comment
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monalyisha
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“We all carried fear. But like one of those scarves you can twist and knot in twenty-something variations, we all wore it differently. Swaddled in our own, it was easy to miss the way it looked on others.”

review
Chelsea.Poole
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Mehso-so

Berry uses the stories of wolves released and tracked in Oregon, along with fairy tales, and other wolf lore to compare with her own lived experiences with fear, community, family, belonging, and much more. She also may be trying to make a broader point about human nature and wolves but I think it got lost in these anecdotes. I love wolves but many of the stories weren‘t new to me and the book was too long and meandering without making a point.

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RowReads1
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New. “For the fans of Mary Roach” often gets me. I was a pretty big fan of “ The adventures of Natty Gann” growing up”. I want a dire wolf. 🐺

JacqMac I love Mary Roach. I‘ll have to look for this. 2y
RowReads1 @JacqMac I‘m pretty sure Ed Yong liked it. She‘s a new writer. I read a review or two that said it read like a thesis 🤷‍♀️. 2y
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