The reason for the confused genre of this book is exactly what makes it one of my favorites. Never Cry Wolf is a fiction account based on the entirely true experiences of its author, Farley Mowat, of living with and observing Arctic wolves in the wild Canadian tundra. His research had very real implications for wildlife conservation at the time, and Never Cry Wolf completely changed public perception of wolves around the world. It gives amazing insight into the lives of these animals, each of whom you get to know very personally. If you don’t like sitting through 200 pages of nonfiction, this is the book for you — the first-person narrative style is enthralling to read, and it feels like you are learning things about the wolves right along with Mowat.
Opening Line: “It is a long way in time and space from the bathroom of my Grandmother Mowat’s house in Oakville, Ontario, to the bottom of a wolf den in the Barren Lands of central Keewatin, and I have no intention of retracing the entire road which lies between.”
Favorite Line: “We have doomed the wolf not for what it is but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be: the mythologized epitome of a savage, ruthless killer—which is, in reality, no more than the reflected image of ourself.”
Why I Like It: It’s like a 200-page National Geographic article.
Read If You Like: National Geographic, White Fang, nature documentaries narrated by David Attenborough.