Diane K. Boyd's “A Woman Among Wolves” book release

Whitefish Review will host author Diane K. Boyd on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 101 Central to discuss her newly released book, A Woman Among Wolves: My Journey Through Forty Years of Wolf Recovery. 

Called the Jane Goodall of wolves, world-renowned wildlife biologist Diane Boyd has spent four decades studying and advocating for wolves in the wilds of Montana near Glacier National Park. When she started in the 1970s, she was the only female biologist researching and radio-collaring wild wolves in the United States. With her two dogs for company, she faced the rigors of the Montana winter in an isolated cabin without running water or electricity.

"This is a book about a courageous woman,” says Dr. Jane Goodall. "Often alone in wild country, she endures hardships and faces danger in many forms … It is a book I highly recommend: informative, fascinating, and beautifully written.” 

Boyd fearlessly forded icy rivers, strapped on skis to navigate thick stands of lodgepole pine, and monitored packs from the air in a tiny bush plane that skimmed the treetops so she could count wolves and see what they were feeding on. She faced down grizzly bears, mountain lions, wolverines—and the occasional trapper—as she stalked her quarry: a handful of wolves making their way south from Canada into Montana. Resilient and resourceful, she devised her own trapping methods and negotiated with locals as wolf populations grew from the first natural colonizer to more than 3,000 wolves in the West today. 

From the early days of wolf research to the present-day challenges of wolf management across the globe, Boyd takes the reader on a wild ride, highlighting her interactions with an apex predator that captured her heart and her undying admiration. Her writing resonates with her indomitable spirit as she explores the intricate balance of human and wolf coexistence. 

Boyd holds a PhD in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana. She divides her time between her home in Kalispell, Montana, and her beloved cabin in the North Fork. She is the author of numerous scientific papers on wolves. 

The event is held at The Second Story, 101 Central in downtown Whitefish. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with live music from 7 to 8 p.m. with David Noftsinger. Readings and discussions begin at 8 p.m. and include special guests Douglas H. Chadwick, Jim Williams, and Michael Jamison, who will pose questions to the author. An audience Q&A will conclude the event. The evening is supported by Greystone Books and will be live-streamed on Whitefish Review’s YouTube page. For more information, visit www.whitefishreview.org.