cover image Another Country

Another Country

Christopher Camuto. Henry Holt & Company, $25 (352pp) ISBN 978-0-8050-2694-8

Concentrating on the reintroduction and restoration by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the red wolf (Canis rufus) into the Cherokee Mountain region of the southern Appalachians, Camuto (A Fly Fisherman's Blue Ridge) traverses the paths of philosopher, historian and naturalist. He speaks from real experience here, witnessing the raising, weaning, tagging and eventually tracking and monitoring of the wolves as they struggle to mesh into the almost foreign land. Strands of Native American history, both mythical and authentic, are sown into the tales of the wolves' stridings through this majestic southern tract. The Cherokee Indian philosophy of the earth and the Indians' love for and harmony with nature is highlighted as Camuto effectively narrates his own feelings for the land. This is a complex, at times profound, work that makes real the magic of nature. (Aug.)