Could have been great, but

Excellent information and content about a fascinating subject. The great plains is my home and it seems I can never get enough of it. Unfortunately the author's seething hatred of capitalism, sportsman, hunting, and anyone not on the left comes through all too clear in the writing.

25 people found this helpful

american serengeti

Very interesting book on the American great Plains. Has an intro and conclusion. The body is broken into segments of the various animals of the plains area. Great way to do this. There was a number of reviews about the narrator doing a poor job. I thought he did a fine job. Very well worth the time to listen to.

8 people found this helpful

Very Informative.

this is a great book. filled with facts and entertaining stories. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys history or animals

8 people found this helpful

Guilt trip maximum

I was really looking forward to this topic, but I couldn’t handle the unrelenting guilt trip. The title should be “Destruction of the American Serengeti”.

7 people found this helpful

A Journey Into the Past and a Hope for the Future

What made the experience of listening to American Serengeti the most enjoyable?

The thing that made this listening experience most enjoyable is the extensive research that was conducted. This information provides a picture into what ancient North America looked like, while also bringing you to the present. Most of all American Serengeti helps you to understand the diversity and beauty of the Great Plains.

What other book might you compare American Serengeti to and why?

Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind is the closest thing I can think of. I do plan on purchasing and listening to Coyote America by Dan Flores author soon.

What about Michael Kramer’s performance did you like?

A great job of keeping it interesting while not over embellishing any particular part of the book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There seemed to be at least one moment of every chapter that "moved me." The book describes the history and decline of some of the most charismatic megafauna to walk the Great Plains. It doesnt matter if you are in the suburbs of Chicago or the Rocky Mountains of Colorado this book talks about how the Great Plains touched the lives of most Americans.

Any additional comments?

I first heard about The American Serengeti through the Meateater podcast. In listening to the podcast it was easy to see that Mr. Flores is well versed and knows what he is talking about. Upon hearing that Mr. Flores had a book I soon purchased American Serengeti and was not disappointing. Mr. Flores goes on to express his opinion in an eloquent and passionate way that leaves the mind to wonder what could have been and what will be.

7 people found this helpful

Nope.

Was hoping this would be a book about wildlife and the beauty of nature but a good chunk of the book was just your typical "white man bad" guilt trip. Instead of talking about how fascinating America's wildlife is/was, it just talks about how bad humans are over and over and over again.

14 people found this helpful

A dreary history coupled by a dreary read.

The beautiful west full of animals destroyed by white men and their greed. Not the way history happened but the way Dan Flores wants you to believe. Animals can graze on the plains and predators that keep their number in check but the evil western civilization ends it all. I’m not buying it. The Indian people’s used up areas until they were uninhabitable. The white men brought farming, fencing, cattle and sheep. They fed their families and made peace with the Indians whenever possible. If you want the return of bison then create a demand for the meat and ranchers will readily raise them. All the game listed is growing in numbers from hunters and the conservation dollars that support them. I really had hoped for something better to listen to in the car than my white privilege.

6 people found this helpful

A marvelous book!

I am a wildlife biologist in the American West where my family has lived for seven generations. I have followed Dan Flores for years and am a great admirer of his power over language, writing, and storytelling. However, for a long time I was reluctant to read "American Serengeti" because I was afraid it would be banal - the same exhaustive (but important) story of Euro-Americans exterminating North American megafauna during westward expansion that I am all too familiar with. I was wrong! This audiobook was actually sent to me by a friend who also uses Audible. It was a fantastic narrative that I found thrilling and very enlightening! I wish I would have read/listened to it sooner! I'm so glad I now have this amazing recording (performed magnificently by Michael Kramer) to relisten to over and over again! A great book!

5 people found this helpful

Very preachy

This book's title made me think I would be listening to a book describing the fascinating habits, life ways and adaptations of Great Plains animals in Pre-columbian America. Sadly, this is not there case. Although the author gives dribs and drabs of such info, this book is mainly about the author's views of how horrible white Europeans were, and how wonderful Indian people were. To give an example of his perspective and the tone of the book, he suggests at one point that Grizzly bears should not only have legal protection as a species, but that individual Grizzly bears should have legally enforcable rights analogous to human rights. Although I strongly disagree with that suggestion, I do not entirely disagree with all his views. I just feel some what misled about the subject matter of the book. It is more about human sociology than animal biology.

4 people found this helpful

Excellent!

I wish the whole world would read this book. It’s almost more important than one can imagine. What we’ve lost should be shocking to all and a horrible vision of the future for other places as well. We can recapture some of what was lost but only if we all realize what a big deal these boring empty places were, and could be again. Well done. Never boring.

4 people found this helpful