This week on The Write Question, host Lauren Korn speaks with journalist Amy Gamerman, author of The Crazies: The Cattleman, the Wind Prospector, and a War Out West (Simon & Schuster), a sprawling, deep-historied narrative of a land dispute in the shadow of Montana’s Crazy Mountains. The Crazies tells the story of a proposed wind farm that triggers a 21st century range war between a struggling cattle rancher, Rick Jarrett (Crazy Mountain Cattle Company), and some of the wealthiest people in America. This is book of over 400 pages, full of compelling characters, family and cultural histories, beautiful landscapes, harsh weather, extractive impulses, and much, much more.
This conversation has been edited for time and is the first part of a two-part conversation.
Amy will be traveling to Montana on her book tour! She will be appearing at:
- the Ravalli County Museum in Hamilton as a guest of Chapter One Bookstore on March 31, 2025; Rob Chaney will join her in conversation there, at 7PM;
- Fact & Fiction Books in Missoula with Monica Tranel on April 1st at 7PM;
- MT Book Co. in Helena with Mike Dennison on April 2nd at 6:30PM;
- Country Bookshelf in Bozeman with Amanda Eggert on April 3rd at 6PM; and
- the Carnegie Public Library in Big Timber with Peter Fox on April 4th at 6PM.
- She’ll also be signing books at Elk River Books in Livingston on April 4th from noon-2PM.
About Amy:
Amy Gamerman has written about real estate and culture for The Wall Street Journal for more than two decades. The Crazies is her first book.
Amy Gamerman recommends:
Crow Fair by Tom McGuane (Vintage Books)
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko (Scribner)
A Race to the Bottom of Crazy: Dispatches from Arizona by Richard Grant (Simon & Schuster)
Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman (W. W. Norton & Company)
Feeding a Divided America: Reflections of a Western Rancher in an Era of Climate Change by Gilles Stockton (University of New Mexico Press)
Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert (Crown)
Lauren Korn recommends:
The Crazies: The Cattleman, the Wind Prospector, and a War Out West by Amy Gamerman (Simon & Schuster)
XIT: A Story of Land, Cattle, and Capital in Texas and Montana by Michael M. Miller (University of Oklahoma Press)
True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America by Betsy Gaines Quammen (Torrey House Press)
Jamie Harrison’s Jules Clement novels: The Edge of the Crazies (1995), Going Local (1996), An Unfortunate Prairie Occurrence (1998), Blue Deer Thaw (2000), all reprinted by Counterpoint Press; and The River View (2024, Counterpoint Press)
Crazy Mountain by Elise Atchison (Sowilo Press)
Beartooth by Callan Wink (Spiegel & Grau)
Other People’s Pets: Critters, Careers, and Capitalism in Yellowstone Country by Chérie Newman (Bitterroot Mountain Publishing)
The Last Heir: The Triumphs and Tragedies of Two Montana Families by Bill Vaughn (Bison Books, University of Nebraska Press)
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The Write Question team for this episode was Lauren Korn, host, co-producer, and editor; and Chris Moyles, co-producer, editor, and sound engineer. This episode is supported by Fact & Fiction, an independent bookstore located in the heart of downtown Missoula, Montana, providing books for all ages and supporting the literary community in Montana and beyond. More information can be found at factandfictionbooks.com.
The Write Question logo and brand (2022) was designed by Molly Russell. You can see more of her work at iamthemollruss.com and on Instagram @iamthemollruss.
Funding for The Write Question comes from Humanities Montana; members of Montana Public Radio; and from the Greater Montana Foundation—encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans.
The Write Question is a production of Montana Public Radio.
