Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History

Aside from the cultures mentioned in this guide, what other cultures from history, from other parts of the world, might be comparable to the Comanches? Discuss.

How might the war against the Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains have transpired differently had people learned from John Hays rather than having to relearn how to properly combat them?

How was Quanah’s dual heritage an advantage for him? A disadvantage?

In the book, Isa-tai is portrayed as a medicine man who brought more harm than good to the Comanche. Is this viewpoint justified? Could Quanah Parker have risen and gathered so many followers without Isa-tai’s support?

Quanah Parker was always a great warrior, but he was just one of many war chieftains. It wasn’t until the reservation that Quanah’s true leadership qualities made a great impact on the whole of the Comanche nation. What about Quanah’s character/personality allowed him to succeed so well on the reservation?

Cynthia Ann Parker never was able to transition from Comanche life to white American society. Why was this so?

John “Coffee” Hays was not the first man to learn how to fight the Comanche. How could history have changed had Juan Bautista de Anza led a force large enough to conquer the Comanches in the 18th century?

Consider the changing world at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, including mass industrialization and technological advances like the automobile, the phone, and indoor electricity. Had the Comanches not been defeated in battle or starved due to the buffalo hunters, what might modern Comanche life look like?