Empire of the Summer MoonEmpire of the Summer Moon
Score Modern
What it's about
S. C. Gwynne tells the story of the Comanches, the most powerful tribe in American history, and their forty-year war with white settlers over the Southern Plains. At its heart is Cynthia Ann Parker, kidnapped as a girl, who married a Comanche chief and had a son, Quanah, who became the last and greatest Comanche war chief.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 61 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It's a vivid, unflinching history of the American West.
You'll love it if you liked
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
Lonesome DoveGood to know
It's graphic in describing violence on all sides.
By the numbers
- Readers71 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller56 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #123 of the 198 history books we rank
- #147 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #460 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #884 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
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Quick answers
Is Empire of the Summer Moon worth reading?
Yes. It spent 61 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It ranks #884 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 74.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Empire of the Summer Moon about?
S. C. Gwynne tells the story of the Comanches, the most powerful tribe in American history, and their forty-year war with white settlers over the Southern Plains. At its heart is Cynthia Ann Parker, kidnapped as a girl, who married a Comanche chief and had a son, Quanah, who became the last and greatest Comanche war chief.
How long does it take to read Empire of the Summer Moon?
About 10 hours (386 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Empire of the Summer Moon?
If you liked it, try Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann or Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.