Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History

Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne — a Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestseller — is a gripping history of the 40-year conflict between the Comanche Nation and white settlers for control of the American West.

The book intertwines two powerful stories: the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most formidable Native American tribe, and the extraordinary saga of Cynthia Ann Parker—a kidnapped pioneer woman—and her son Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche chief.

Gwynne vividly recounts how the Comanches’ unmatched horsemanship and warfare skills shaped the fate of Spanish colonists, French explorers, and American settlers, delaying westward expansion for decades.

Spanning themes of war, colonization, and cultural survival, Empire of the Summer Moon is a sweeping, meticulously researched epic that redefines the story of how the American West was truly won.