Review – A Buffalo in the House by R.D. Rosen
The True Story of a Man, an Animal, and the American West
The title of this book A Buffalo in the House, suggests a heart-warming story reminiscent of those written by James Herriot. For many readers, this is enough to entice them to open the front cover. However, this account offers the reader much more.
Rosen uses narrative to tell the story of an artist, Veryl Goodnight, who needed a buffalo calf to model for a sculpture she intended to create honoring a distant uncle, Charles Goodnight, who had helped preserve the buffalo herds in the American Southwest in the late nineteenth century. As the story unfolds, Veryl’s husband, Roger, becomes increasingly attached to the buffalo they have named Charlie.
As Charlie grows, it becomes apparent to Veryl and Roger that their buffalo needed to be with other buffalo. Therefore, they arrange to take Charlie to a ranch where he can socialize and learn how bison behave. Charlie, however, becomes upset and an accident sends Charlie, Veryl, and Roger to a university veterinary program to recover. With time and persistence, Charlie becomes an ambassador for buffalo and a regular part of life around Veryl and Roger's home
Near Extinction
As many readers of this review will know, the American bison once ran in herds numbering in the thousands with estimated total populations between 40 and 100 million animals in the mid 1800s. By the end of that century, the buffalo was very nearly extinct.
In this remarkable account, the reader learns about historic and current attempts to preserve the buffalo who played such an important role in the development of the west. Roger, a former pilot for Air America, becomes an advocate for buffalo as he comes to care for Charlie. The story of Charles Goodnight’s remarkable gift of buffalo to the Native Americans of Taos in skillfully interwoven with Roger’s attempts to preserve the modern herds of buffalo in New Mexico, Texas, and Yellowstone National Park. Throughout the story, the reader learns of the problems facing buffalo herds in the 21st century.
Rough Road to a Comeback
Though the bison is making a comeback, problems continue to plague the herds, and the reader learns of the conflict between advocates for the buffalo and the cattle interests of Montana. At the end of the book, a list of contacts are provided for readers interested in doing more for the bison. Though some biologists draw a distinction between buffalo and bison, noting that the American bison is most closely related to the European bison, the author of the book and the author of this review use the terms interchangeably.
The edition of the book does have a number of typographical errors that, at times, slow the reading. However, Rosen tells Charlie’s story in such a way that readers will want to make sure they have time for extended reading so the flow of the story is not interrupted.
About Richard Dean Rosen
Rosen’s self-proclaimed first attempt at writing about the American west is A Buffalo in the House. However, he has written other works of nonfiction as well as mystery novels and in the humor genre.
Reference:
Rosen, R. D. A Buffalo in the House: The True Story of a Man, An Animal, and the American West. New York: The New Press, 2007. (ISBN: 978-0-7394-9100-3).
Cover - A Buffalo in the House
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