wolfish in the media
“Berry writes with a strong sense of assurance, suspense and wit, balancing her personal experiences, the peregrinations of OR-7 and the history of humankind’s fraught relationships with wolves.”
— High Country News
“Subtly and immediately, Berry puts her story in conversation with the wolf’s, illuminating a surprising kinship in their shared fight to survive—a kinship that begins to erode the binary of predator and prey…After all we’ve endured in these last few fear-ridden years, Wolfish feels particularly necessary. “
- electric literature
“A richly detailed socio-ecological landscape…Berry avoids drawing simple parallels…Her book is an invitation to similarly ‘rekindle’ connections with a broader ‘collective’ of creatures.”
- the stinging fly
“Allows for the complexity of both Berry's personal journey and the wolf's status as a rich cultural avatar….Berry is a skillful guide.”
— scientific american
“A powerful exploration of predators and their prey delivered with an unflinching and vulnerable honesty...a necessary environmental memoir: that which acknowledges fear in its ongoing pursuit of hope."
-Vulture
“A fascinating read, perfect for fans of Mary Roach’s Fuzz, or anyone who enjoys learning about wolves and what they can teach us about human nature.”
- LIBRARY JOURNAL, STARRED REVIEW
“[An] astute, gorgeous memoir.”
- The Rumpus
“Hypnotic…This blend of memoir and nature writing will call to those who delve deeply into themselves and into our relationship with the wild.”
- Booklist
“Far more than a book about an animal, this is a book about how fear shapes the world...The prose itself in Wolfish is brisk and essayistic, and makes for a compelling read…Wolfish is a fascinating document.”
- The new republic
“In weaving together strands of personal narrative, reportage, and cultural criticism, Wolfish delivers a portrait of the American cultural unconscious—and its intersections with sex, race, and the environment…As Berry masterfully shows, a wolf…is never just a wolf.”
- the millions
“I immediately was absorbed not only by her knowledge of wolf behavior but also by the myriad ways in which she incorporated these lessons into a deep journey into herself...[a] beautifully written and passionate book that deserves wide, global attention.”
- Mark Bekoff, PhD, psychology today
“An enticing blend of memoir, science, history and cultural criticism, Wolfish centers around OR-7, the legendary Oregon wolf who left his natal pack and wandered thousands of miles. Erica Berry uses OR-7 as a metaphor for investigations into fear, storytelling, gender bias and grief…the deft storytelling makes for a sensitive, satisfying read.
- reader’s digest
“Wolfish is captivating all the way through, exploring fear, myth, meaning, and our relationship to nature.”
- bustle
“Erica Berry… interrogates femininity, our ideas of predator and prey, the bodies that carry our fear and the animals that never asked to have our grievances heaped upon them.”
- salon
“She elucidates the myths and stories we tell about lupine fears in ferocious and beautiful writing…richly layered and complex…Berry’s vulnerability and strength is displayed in poignant detail.”
- THE STAR TRIBUNE
“Terror propels Erica Berry’s exhilarating book…No matter where Berry weaves, she sniffs out fascinating insights. And she writes about it in clear, beautiful language.”
-the washington post
“What do we fear, and when, and why? This book should be required reading.”
- los angeles times
“Berry’s braided approach renders Wolfish both a vulnerable self-investigation and a wide-ranging exploration of fear—and, ultimately, an antidote to it. She makes a stirring case for walking alongside the symbolic wolf".”
- the atlantic
“Richly discursive.”
- The sunday times
“Wolfish's explorations of predators and prey in the natural world and in the man-made world defies easy categorization….asks readers to reconsider their relationships with fear and the creatures who cause it.”
- harpers bazaar
“The type of nonfiction book that any can read regardless of their interests as long as they like damn good writing…Berry smashes expectations for what a book can do.”