Terror propels Erica Berry’s exhilarating book.

Berry... elucidates the myths and stories we tell about our lupine fears in ferocious and beautiful writing.

Wolfish moves back and forth between these and other narratives like a wolf weaving through trees at night—assembling a story that’s ultimately about what we fear and why.

Among the book’s strengths is Berry’s awareness that, as she puts it, 'my wolf is not your wolf.' Berry combines memoir, journalism, and cultural criticism, weaving in others’ voices to remind readers that her perspective is only one of many.

Trailblazing withstanding, Wolfish embraces the confines of being a relatively quotidian story.

Her account of her journey to confront and assimilate her fears and of the wolves that arrived on their own to repopulate Oregon is hypnotic.

An exploration of more than just the biology of wolves and the nature of human interactions with these mysterious creatures; it is an analysis of the polarization that plagues modern American society.

Even if the material is sometimes scattered, Berry offers some intriguing insights.