The last book I read in 2012 was Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gywnne. For 2013 my goal is to read 100 books. As I love to read, I don’t think it will be that big of a goal, but I’ve never really counted how many books I read in a year, so this will be interesting. I’ve added a widget to the sidebar showing my progress.
Anyways, back to the book. I love reading history books and this one is one of the best written ones I’ve seen in a long while. Not only informative, but easy to read as the author blends history into a storytelling mode that is fun.
So what is Empire of the Summer Moon about and why should you read it? It’s a history of the Southwest, more specifically the Comanche’s and their dominance of the Llano Estacado. What made it more interesting to me, is that I happen to live on part of the Llano Estacado. The book purports to tell the story of the Comanche Indians in two parts. First the capture of Cynthia Ann Parker and her life as the White Squaw and then her son Quanah Parker. Along the way, it also tells the beginnings of the Texas Rangers, the founding of Texas and political events of the times.
The Comanche Indians were the first Native Americans to realize the war making potential of horses that were introduced by the Spaniards. They were so successful, they dominated the High Plains for over 200 years beating the Spanish, French, Texans, Mexicans and Americans. In doing so, the Llano Estacado truly became the last frontier of America. 
The author pulls no punches, showing the good, bad and the ugly of all the participants. This is one of the most unbiased books I’ve read in a long time. Give it a shot, I’m positive that you will enjoy it.
By the way, you can find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iTunes.
Reblogged this on Rancho Comancho and commented:
We at Rancho Comancho completely agree with your evaluation: great book! Non sappiamo se il libro è già tradotto in italiano (controlleremo) ma speriamo lo sia presto. Chi fosse in grado di leggerlo in inglese, non perda un momento se vuole sapere qualche cosa sulla storia vera del West. Una nota: si intitola l’Impero della Luna d’estate perchè i Comanche, contrariamente a quel che si crede sugli indiani, amavano attaccare di notte, con la luna piena. La cosa era così risaputa e temuta che ancora oggi in Texas le lune piene d’estate sono chiamate Comanche Moon, Luna Comanche!