Empire Of The Summer Moon Summary

Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne takes place in the early nineteenth century on the frontier in Texas. Cynthia Ann Parker and her family, like other settlers in the area, are clashing with the Native Americans—specifically the Comanches. The Parker family knew there would be dangers living there before they moved, yet they moved there anyway. Others say that the Parkers hold so much fear for God that it left no room for fear of anyone else, including the Native Americans. One day, a small group of Native Americans arrives on the Parker homestead much to the family’s surprise. Cynthia’s uncle goes out to meet them, and he’s killed in an altercation. After he’s killed, Cynthia, her mother, and her three siblings try to flee—only they

don’t make it very far before the Native Americans catch up with them and capture them. Cynthia’s mother is forced to give up two of her three children; one of them was Cynthia. She, her brother, two of her aunts, and a cousin are taken by the tribe.

Shortly after being taken by the Native Americans, the tribe adopts Cynthia, accepting her as a member. Meanwhile, one of her surviving uncles spends years searching for her. A white man—a soldier—encounters Cynthia and tries to get the tribe to release her by offering a substantial ransom. They refuse on account that Cynthia is married, though they keep this motivation hidden from the soldier. Likewise, they keep her husband hidden whenever there’re white people in their midst.

Cynthia’s husband is named Peta Nocona.

He’s an important member of the tribe, and is considered a leader. Together, they have three children. Their eldest is named Quanah. When Quanah is only twelve years old, the tribe’s camp falls under attack. During the attack, Peta is killed though Quanah can’t come to grips with the loss of her father for many years after. During the attack, Cynthia is separated from her two sons because the attacking white soldiers capture her. At the time, she was carrying her youngest, an infant daughter, and revealed herself to be a white woman in order to preserve her life. They take her from the camp, but she hates it at first. She’s not used to living in the white person’s world and she has trouble adjusting until she moves from family member to family member and finally settles. When her infant dies, Cynthia is, understandably, emotionally

destroyed.

During Quanah’s life, there are handfuls of battles and skirmishes between the white people and the Native Americans.

In most situations, the Native Americans attacked the white people, who then tried to catch those who attacked them in order to get revenge. This cycle continues for many years, and many die—especially on the side of the white people who don’t understand how the Native Americans fight—during those battles.

The conflict between Native Americans and white people isn’t the only struggle. Different tribes clash as well, and one day, Quanah is taken by another tribe. They treat him with cruelty for two reasons: not only is he half-white, but he’s also an orphan. Unfortunately, neither of these take things Quanah can help. His actions didn’t endear him to the tribe that took him though, especially because while he fought against the white man for years and years, he ends up siding with them in a bid for

peace.

Quanah ends up moving onto the reservation nearby. He assimilates the white man’s culture—for example, he gets both a telephone and a car. Quanah likes to travel by train, and a railroad ends up being named after him. He fights peacefully for what he believes in, such as a school district devoted to Native American children. As time passes, Quanah builds a massive home for all of his extended family. His generosity and welcoming nature leads to his house always being filled with guests. This becomes his legacy after he dies in 1911 of heart failure. Quanah ultimately becomes the last, and according to Gwynne, the greatest—chief of the Comanches.

Major themes of this book include family, identity, and equality. At the heart of all of these themes is the repeated clash between Native Americans and the white man. Over the course of about a century, there are changes that benefit both groups, but the changes take hold slowly.

S.C. Gwynne is both a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a New York Times bestseller. In addition to Empire of the Summer Moon, Gwynne has written Selling Money, The Outlaw Bank, Rebel Yell, and The Perfect Pass. He also writes for a number of periodicals, including Texas Monthly and Outside Magazine. He worked as the Executive Editor for Texas Monthly from 2000-2008. Before that, he worked for Time Magazine for over a decade in several roles. In that position, he received a number of awards and recognitions, including a National Headliners Award, the Gerald Loeb Award, the Jack Anderson Award, and the John Hancock Award.