John Williams' Butcher's Crossing is a stark Western following Will Andrews, a Harvard dropout who joins a buffalo hunting expedition in 1870s Kansas, witnessing the brutal slaughter that nearly drove buffalo to extinction. Through the hunt's descent into obsession and disaster, Williams explores American violence, environmental destruction, and the myth of the frontier. The novel becomes both Western and anti-Western, proving that Williams understood the genre's darkness and that some quests for authenticity lead to horror.

WHY WE PICKED IT: Because Williams wrote the Western that exposes the genre's violence and environmental devastation, showing the frontier's reality without romanticism. This powerful novel reminds us that the buffalo slaughter was genocide, that obsession destroys, and that Williams deserves recognition beyond Stoner.

DETAILS: • Author: John Williams • Publisher: New York Review of Books • Format: Paperback • Publication Date: January 16, 2007 • ISBN: 9781590171981 • Ships direct from distributor in 3–7 business days