Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History

In the vein of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, an incredibly vivid history of the forty-year struggle for dominance of the American West between European settlers and Comanche Indians, centered on Quanah, the greatest Comanche chief of all time.

Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne is divided into two amazing tales. The first chronicles the Comanches' ascent and decline to become the most influential Indian tribe in American history. The second tells the epic story of pioneer lady Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who grew up to become the greatest and last Comanche chief. It is one of the most astounding stories to come out of the Old West.

The Comanches' famous fighting prowess really dictated how and when the American West opened up, even if readers may be more acquainted with the tribe names Apache and Sioux. By the age of six, Comanche boys were proficient bareback riders; complete Comanche braves were regarded as the greatest horsemen in history. They prevented the French march westward from Louisiana and the northern thrust of colonial Spain from Mexico because they were so proficient in combat and with their arrows and lances. When white settlers from the east coast of the United States arrived in Texas, they were shocked to see that Comanches, who were angry over the invasion of their tribal territories, were rolling back the border. The Comanches were so successful that they compelled the establishment of the Texas Rangers and brought about the development of the six-gun, a new weapon created especially to combat them.

The four-decade-long conflict with the Comanches essentially halted the growth of the new American country. An historical feast for anybody curious in the origins of the United States, Gwynne's gripping story covers Spanish colonization, the Civil War, the devastation of the buffalo herds, and the advent of the railroads.

In light of this, Gwynne portrays the gripping tale of Cynthia Ann Parker, a charming nine-year-old with cornflower-blue eyes who was abducted by Comanches in 1836 from the remote Texas border. As she learned to love her captors, she gained notoriety as the "White Squaw" and refused to go back until the terrible day Texas Rangers captured her in 1860. Even more well-known was her son Quanah, a fighter who never lost and a legend thanks to his guerilla battles in the Texas Panhandle.

The story of these events by S. C. Gwynne is well researched, thought-provoking, and, most importantly, gripping.