REVIEW | A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans
“Years from now, we’ll tell this story: Once upon a time, there was a wolf called Romeo. Together, we watch him trot across the lake and fade into twilight. And we remember.”
Themes:
- Human perception of top predators
- Conservation and environmental politics
- Evolutionary relationship between wolves and dogs
Wolves, dogs, interspecies communication, the wilderness, conservation—if you enjoy any of these topics, A Wolf Called Romeo will enthrall you. I expected this to be one of those “food-conditioned wild animal acts friendly sometimes and we got great photos” scenarios. Far from it, and Jans condemns food conditioning throughout the book. He has a real understanding of and respect for Romeo as a wild animal, and even hopes throughout the novel that the wolf will move on, live his natural life, and keep out of harm’s—aka humanity’s—way.
Environmental politics are central in this story, and I think Jans does an excellent job of staying as unbiased as possible despite his obvious love for animals, wolves in particular. I deeply appreciated Jans’s levelheaded, far-from-dramatic approach to each event and the community’s various reactions. I came away with a detailed understanding of the beliefs, historical perspectives, and emotions involved on both sides.
As for the story of Romeo and his interactions with the people and dogs of Juneau—it’s enchanting. The reader is given detailed insight into Jans’s firsthand encounters with the wolf and accounts from others. The behaviors of both wolf and dogs are fascinating.
Already an accomplished photojournalist at the time of writing this, Jans succeeds in telling a nonfiction story with the emotional influence and thematic strength characteristic of fiction.
There were times when I couldn’t put this book down, which doesn’t always happen for me, especially with nonfiction. I wholeheartedly recommend!
