Book Recommendation
I recently read this book and highly recommend it. It helped me articulate why I am so drawn to wild horses in the western landscape. The book explores what we feel in the presence of wild animals, and the deep sense of awe that being with wild horses can awaken in us. It reconnects us to parts of ourselves that are often surrendered in the speed and noise of modern life.
This book also reinforces why we must protect not only the wild horses that remain, but the lands they — and other wild creatures — rely on for their existence. It reminds us of what is larger than ourselves, and in that recognition we find reverence, spirituality, and connection. It calls us to value and protect these things not for their economic worth, but because without them, an essential part of our humanity — and our connection to wildness — will be lost to us and to future generations.
I highly recommend this book by Chad Hanson, In the Land of Awe.
“Chad Hanson has written a wonderful book exploring his fascination with the wild horses of the American West, taking readers on a journey inside the lives of these magnificent animals and the wild places where they still live. Weaving together sociology, ecology, and history, Hanson explores the importance of a reverence for nature to human psychology, why wild horses inspire awe, and why saving them is essential to preserving the last vestiges of all that is wild in the West. An excellent read!”
--Suzanne Roy, executive director, American Wild Horse Campaign