Wild Horse Annie

“As one of the few insiders from Velma Johnston’s campaign to save America’s mustangs, Alan J. Kania presents a thorough, deeply researched, and carefully crafted portrait of the woman without whom we would have no wild horses today. He also recounts the details of that hard-fought battle, making Wild Horse Annie an invaluable record of one of the great environmental wars of the twentieth century. ”—Deanne Stillman, author of Mustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West

“Here is the real deal--a tale accurately and lovingly told by Alan Kania, who as a young man worked for Annie. Alan mirrored Annie’s passion to save the American mustang. Together they created a path to protecting these iconic symbols of American freedom.”—Ginger Kathrens, founder and director of the Cloud Foundation and creator of the popular Cloud, the Wild Stallion programs for PBS’s Nature series

“The story of Wild Horse Annie, well conveyed by Alan J. Kania, is an important one given her cause and the issues and challenges she faced.”—Mark Harvey, author of Wilderness Forever: Howard Zahniser and the Path to the Wilderness Act

"A straightforward and indispensable account of one woman's extraordinary success, 40 years ago, in helping to protect America's wild horses from the human predators surrounding them. . . . The value of Kania's work, apart from his tender view of his subject, is that it shows us, relentlessly, how law can be and is subverted by political forces."—The Atlantic

"The book is well written and will be a fascinating read for those whose lives are affected by wild horses and burros."—Library Journal 

"The story of how Velma, snidely dubbed "Wild Horse Annie" by a government official, gathered supporters for the wild horses and got laws passed to provide for their humane treatment and protection, makes inspiring reading."—Booklist  

"Wild Horse Annie is a strongly recommended pick for collections focusing on American conservation history, not to be overlooked."—Midwest Book Review

“Kania has written a fascinating biography about a major figure in the environmental history of the West. Wild Horse Annie is her story and it is engagingly and affectionately told.”—Southwestern Historical Quarterly ~Southwestern Historical Quarterly

“Author Alan J. Kania provides a ward, candid, and revealing look into the public and private life of Velma B. Jonston (a.k.a. Wild Horse Annie), his mentor, collaborator, and friend, who sacrificed so greatly in her quest to save wild, free-roaming horses and burros of the American West.”—Oregon Historical Quarterly ~Oregon Historical Quarterly

“The book is well written and will be a fascinating read for those whose lives are affected by wild horses and burros.”—Library Journal
  ~Library Journal