Book Description
Of the animals in North America, none commands such dread, awe, and interest as the bear. Creatures that fear little, bears compete for survival with the only other animals that can threaten their existence: Humans.
Bear Attacks is a thorough and unflinching study of attacks made on humans. This is the sometimes horrific, yet always instructive, story of Bear and Human, written by the leading scientific authority in the field. This book is for everyone who camps, hikes, or visits bear country -and for anyone who wants to learn more about these fearsome but always fascinating wild creatures.
Customer Reviews:
Bear Atacks. Their causes and avoidance.......2007-09-15
I have made three wilderness kayaking trips with buddies and my son and daughter to South East Alaska since 1999 . I have kayaked, camped and hiked in bear habited Glacier Bay and Mysty Fiords National Monument.
Prior to my first trip in 1999 I had no knowledge or experience (I am Irish) about how to behave safely in bear country apart from reading the park services two page leaflet about the essentials for traveling in bear country and watching a twenty minute video on bear safety.
We managed to escape unscathed from five bear (black and grizzly) encounters over the two weeks we were there through ignorance, fear and a good bit of luck.
We made two further trips to SE Alaska (2002, 2006) and encountered bears on each trip but despite taking all advised precautions I could not get it out of my mind that we were surviving bear attacks mostly by luck. None of us had any idea what to do if a bear did attack (apart from having excellent first aid qualifications and a VHF radio.
Now that I have read "Bear Attacks. Their causes and Avoidance" , Stephen Herrero, I know how lucky we really have been. This book does not make for easy reading. It is graphic in its description of attacks and their aftermath but it is essential reading for anybody thinking of heading into bear country.
Having read it I know that I will be better prepared for my 2009 wilderness trip to SE Alaska.
Tom Ronayne
Disappointed in revised edition........2007-06-10
Just another of an old book you add a few lines to and call it revised edition. I thought he would go into recent attacks since the first edition. Many of the same stories. Many of the same pictures, illustrations and just the old book with a new cover. Might say a few more lines about pepper spray and a few things but that's it. Don't waste your money on it. Buy the older edition in hardback and save money. You are basically reading the same thing. The book is a great book but not the revised edition. Same as old. Very disappointed.
Required Reading For Backcountry Camping in Grizzly Country.......2007-05-20
This is an outstanding book to prepare yourself for being in the backcountry with Grizzlies. It offers a great deal of information on both black and grizzly bears. It thoroughly covers everything to do with bears including their biology and life cycle, descriptions of previous attacks, and, of course, what to do when you encounter a bear. This book explains in detail why it is important to act differently towards bears in different situations.
Some people have mentioned that the book goes into too great a detail regarding bear attacks. I disagree. I believe that this information is important if you are ever unlucky enough to be attacked by a bear. However, don't read this book while you are actually camping in grizzly territory. A group just before us sustained a bluff charge so we knew a grizzly was nearby. That incident combined with the reading of the book while camping combined for some really restless sleep.
knowledge is the best defense.......2007-02-24
This one ought to be required reading for those of us who enjoy venturing into bear country for work or play. If the information in this book were more widely known, the result would be greater safety for people and bears. This book is comprehensive and authoritative. It describes the important differences in behavior between black bears and grizzly bears better than any other book I've seen on the subject.
Bear attacks.......2006-02-19
This is a must read for anyone who intends to be on the ground in grizzly country or in black bear country. It contains many carefully researched bear attack accounts, interviews, reconstructions , etc. No made up stuff. No anthropomorphism. No touchy feely wishful utopian stuff. This guy is a realist and cautious. He wants to save lives. If only the suicidal psychopath from Malibu (or better yet his girl friend) had read and understood this book (the key is understood!) we might not have that fascinating movie to talk about. Like Bob Golden, the chief biologist for David Brower for 15 years once told me.."Grizzlies are utterly incompatible with human beings."
Book Description
Do bear attacks touch people in the far-back recesses of their psyches? Reach latent ancestral memories of cave days when humans were potential prey? Indeed, there are those who say their nightmares involved bears before they ever saw one, either in the flesh or in the movies. Unfortunately, these nightmares all too often come true. People perform almost superhuman feats in their fight to survive bear attacks. Jim Marriott, for instance, was attacked and
mauled by a grizzly while carving out a moose head. When playing dead didn’t work, he slammed his skinning knife into the attacker’s neck. The surprised bear backed off only to charge again, cut his tongue trying to bite at the knife, and got the knife sunk into the
same place. By the third charge, Marriott was on his feet despite chewed buttocks and damaged legs. This time the bear left with the knife still sticking in his neck. “In bear attacks, the human survival instinct is extraordinary,” says a doctor who sees the terrible punishment victims of bear attacks live through. “And equally amazing are the heroics and seemingly superhuman efforts of those around the victims.”
BEAR ATTACKS OF THE CENTURY gathers together these stories of courage,
chronicling the most horrific encounters between bears and people. With expert advice on avoiding attacks and information that may help both species leave an encounter unscathed, this book is required reading for hikers, hunters, campers, or anyone visiting bear country, and those who want to learn more about these sometimes deadly but always fascinating animals.
Customer Reviews:
Worst book ever.......2007-10-08
If you consider buying this book: Don`t do it. This is without a doubt the worst book i ever read. Take for example this quote from the chapter "lethal punch": "Gene drew back his left fist, and as the bear leaped at him , he threw the hardest punch of his life. He missed the nose but struck her cocked head just under the eye. The impact of the punch combined with the momentum of the 750 pound brown was so powerfull that his arm and hand went white and he had no feeling left in the knuckles. The sow`s head twitched and she bared two front teeth that were still covered with Genes meat, before suddenly dropping with her pawns under her body." Come on man give me a break. What the f.. is that. Unless you suffer from a serious disease of the central nervous system like the author of this book obviously does don`t buy this book. 1 star is one too much.
Best Book I've Ever Read.......2007-10-07
I could not put this book down. It is true stories of man encountering Brown Bears (largest carnivores on earth) and Grizzly. There is one story of a poloar bear too. This is without a doubt the most exciting and horrifying book I have ever read. I would do almost anything for $1 Million, however, you could offer me $1 Million and I would never go into Alaska bear country, never. The courage of these men is unfathomible. This book will horrify, excite and interest the average reader for sure. Worth the money and time. You won't be able to put it down. The chapters are not long and drawn out either. I recommend this book to everyone, especially those living in "bear country".
Horrendously Fascinating!.......2007-08-06
This you'll want to read in one sitting. Amazing stories of human courage (most of the time). Interesting tips on what to do and not do, but bears are unpredictable, which the stories tell.
unhappy campers.......2007-03-21
"When it's a bear attack, people bend every rule in the book," says Dr. William Wennen, a trauma/plastic surgeon in Fairbanks, Alaska, who has reconstructed a majority of Alaska's bear attack victims.
Wennen is a recurring character -- a just-this-side-of-the-pearly-gates vision in a white coat -- in a graphic collection of true bear attack stories compiled by Illinois outdoor writer Larry Mueller and Marguerite Reiss, who spent many years in Alaska and now resides in Lansing.
"Bear Attacks of the Century" certainly bears out Wennen's remark. As these harrowing first-person tales attest, bear attacks provoke exceptional behavior. Heroic friends somehow manage to move mauled victims out of remote areas. Intrepid pilots fly the injured through dangerous storms and mists to the nearest hospital. The victims themselves perform feats of survival they never would have thought possible back home in the La-Z-Boy.
In the same spirit, the reader, desperately hooked on these Spillane-terse survival shockers, ignores every rational impulse and keeps turning the pages, driven by sheer adrenaline. In your corner literary salon, "Bear Attacks" readers can always be discerned by their pale complexion, bug eyes, clenched teeth, shifting buttocks and constant shouts of "Oh Jesus!"
The beasts in question aren't the cute, bouncing black bears of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but the 600-pound grizzlies and 900-pound coastal brown bears that inhabit remote areas of Alaska by the thousands.
These bears have ruled their world for millennia, feasting on berries, salmon, deer, elk, caribou and whatever else they survey from the summit of the food chain.
A combination of high intelligence and hellish ferocity distinguishes them from, say, sharks, who seem like mere mechanical blades with fins by comparison. A bear can sit on a rock and wait you out while you decide which (wrong) move to make, or come at you all at once like a furry, stink-breathing tornado. With a running speed of 35 miles per hour, a half-ton brown bear sow can cover the 40 yards between you and her cubs in a little over a second. How's that rifle arm?
Perhaps more importantly, how big is your rifle? "If a brown bear attacks," says an Alaska public safety officer in one story, "the best thing you can do with a .357 [handgun] is to stick it in your mouth and pull the trigger." Even a heart-shot bear can run another 100 yards and exact terrible revenge.
The book's attack sequences vividly recreate what must be the most extreme trauma nature can visit upon intruding humans. (Squeamish readers may want to turn to the horoscope page.) Typically, a bear will begin an attack by sinking its canines into the buttocks, shaking the victim like a cat shakes a mouse. One hapless hunter, in a rare bit of comic relief, gets his cowboy hat knocked off before the bear goes to work on him. Others end up with hands, feet, ears, even kneecaps bitten off -- or almost off.
Bears also like to bite into heads. Dangling scalps and popped-out eyeballs are a recurring theme here. One victim finds a hooded sweatshirt handy for keeping his head together, literally.
The only defense for an unarmed person, say the authorities, is to play dead. But it's not easy to keep from twitching or coughing with a leg turned around or a mouth full of pine needles. In the book's most agonizing passages, traumatized, pain-wracked victims tilt their head ever so slightly to see if the bears are finally gone, only to attract another round of savage attacks.
Usually, bears attack humans only to defend cubs or lay claim to a kill. When bears attack for food, it's actually a lucky break for the victim, because they like to bury the meat in leaves and wait for it to turn rancid, allowing time for the meal to crawl off to safety and buy into a time-share in Miami Beach.
The prose in "Bear Attacks" is far too lean to push Hemingway-esque machismo or guilt-ridden environmentalism. For the most part, it's straight-up, scary stories around the campfire.
There is, however, a frustratingly contradictory primer on how to deal with bears at the end of the book. Make noise or don't make noise? Challenge or don't challenge? Get away or stay put? The answer, unfortunately, is "it depends," and chances are you won't have time to parse the behavioral niceties of man-bear relations before teeth meet bone.
That brings "Bear Attacks" down to a simple, hard lesson on the unpredictability of life, as embodied in the book's most poignant sentence:
"This had been such a pleasant day, and the meadow was in view."
On the edge of my seat............2006-11-06
Exciting and thought provoking. Very informative, teaches you how to be prepared when in bear country. Teaches you what NOT to do when in bear country. A book of true survival stories you'll never forget! Once I started reading, I couldn't hardly put it down and almost finished it in the first reading! Have read it through, twice. If you like stories of courage and survival, this is a MUST HAVE! Larry Mueller tells it like no one else can.
Book Description
Everything you need to know about traveling and camping safely in bear country
· Practical strategies for avoiding dangerous situations—and how to cope if you do encounter a bear
· Debunks commonly held myths about people and bears
· Revised edition highlights new research and new issues
No more myths. No more rumors. No more horror stories. Backcountry Bear Basics, 2nd Edition provides tested strategies to help you avoid conflict with black bears and grizzlies.
Bear expert Dave Smith gives you the basics—like how to choose a good campsite and properly store your food so that you don't have to worry whether that pepper spray you brought will work on the bear that wanders into camp. He debunks commonly held myths about people and bears. For instance, menstruating women don't have to stay out of bear country, he says. And no, don't roll up in a ball when faced with a charging bear. So much of conventional wisdom about bears is often just plain bad advice; Smith tells you what you should do instead and why. He also reviews specific outdoor activities—from fishing to mountain biking to hiking with young children to trail running—assessing the likelihood of bear encounters and suggesting tactics for coping in different settings and situations.
This updated second edition incorporates new research (Do bear bells work? Does tent color or shape make a difference in attracting bears?) and adds more charts and sidebars to make material accessible at a glance. Smith provides key information on bear behavior and biology to help you understand, rather than fear, this most misunderstood animal.
Customer Reviews:
A Great Primer for hiking and camping in bear country.......2007-10-12
I enjoyed this book a great deal as it is full of great information. An average reader could finish this book in an afternoon and have a wealth of knowledge to help them coexist with bears in the wild.
recommended by experts.......2004-10-16
Use Amazon.com's "look inside this book" feature to view the back cover of Backcountry Bear Basics, and you'll see that Steve French, Director of Research for the Yellowstone Grizzly Foundation, says Backcountry Bear Basics is "the number one book I'd recommend to anyone going into bear country." Alaska Department of Fish & Game biologist Larry Aumiller, manager of the McNeil River State Sanctuary for Brown Bears, writes that Backcountry Bear Basics is "entertaining and accurate."
I'm not aware of any other bear safety book, including Ph.D. biologist Stephen Herrero's Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance, that features endorsements from genuine bear experts.
"Living in Harmony With Bears," a publication by the Alaska Office of the National Audubon Society, includes a Suggested Reading list that mentions both Backcountry Bear Basics and Herrero's Bear Attacks. (http://www.audubon/org/chapter/ak/ak/m2item3.html) Biologist Derek Stonorov wrote Living in Harmony With Bears. John Schoen, Senior Scientist for Alaska Audubon, is listed as a contributor. Living In Harmony With Bears says Herrero's Bear Attacks is "a classic by the world's foremost expert on bear-human interactions," but Backcountry Bear Basics is "the number one recommendation for anyone going into the field with bears."
I found Backcountry Bear Basics to be accurate, practical, and fun to read.
Bear Basics: Entertaining and educational.......2004-08-20
Dave Smith is an excellent writer! His style of writing is educational, yet entertaining. He is down to earth, yet takes his research quite seriously. He does an excellent job of discussing issues that a number of guides stress or disagree with, such as noise making, bear cans, menstration and camping, and bear spray. His discussion on biology and evolution of the grizzly and black bear is for the individual who wants to gain an understanding of bears, yet does not want to know the technical facts that only a specialist would want to know.
An excellent read for those who are interested in learning about bears, their behavior, and how to minimize and avoid attacks. Short, sweet, and entertaining!
Backcountry Bear Basics.......2004-03-17
I reckon I won't be encountering any bears in my neck of the city anytime soon, but I thought I give this book a read anyway. Well-written, concise and informatives, this book seems to give you all that you need to know. It debunks certain myths such as bears being attracted to menustrating females and the usefulness of climbing a tree (if you can make it there) to avoid an irrate bear. So if you are heading out into bear country and are not an experienced hiker, reading this book would be a good idea.
Women, Menstruation, Bears.......2003-05-10
Under the heading "Feminine Hygiene and Bears," Glacier National Park's current website claims, "although evidence is inconclusive, sexual actitivity or a woman's menstrual period may attract bears." Women who are concerned about warnings like this should read Backcountry Bear Basics. Instead of repeating or embellishing Glacier Park's menstrual warning (as far too many writers have done over the years), Smith reviewed the evidence and found it wanting. He devotes eleven meticulously documented pages of Backcountry Bear Basics to the menstrual myth. After a graduate student did a study on polar bears and menstrual odors in 1980, the superintendent of Glacier wrote a memo that said the results of the study "were inconclusive and the applicability of the thesis to Glacier's grizzly and black bears is questionable." So why does Glacier continue to post menstrual warnings? Smith says park officials are "in a quandry. Because of 'liability implications,' NPS officials felt they had to warn park visitors that it might be dangerous for menstruating women to travel in bear country. At the same time, the NPS had to tell employees that it was safe for menstruating women to work in bear country. It was clear there would be lawsuits for sexual discrimination if the NPS refused to hire women for jobs in bear country." Whether the topic is menstruation, food storage, or pepper spray, Dave Smith really did his homework. You get practical advice in this book that you won't find anywhere else.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book.......2007-07-03
Very Scary book based on true events. Don't read if you plan to camp in bear country.
Scare-O-Rama.......2007-01-16
Great, well-written, true-life account of the infamous Glacier National Park grizzly attacks. But now I'm afraid to take the trash out to the curb at night. Superior to the lesser copycat work: "Night of the Smoky Mountain Black Bears", recounting tales of ravaged trash barrels, violated Igloo coolers, and steaming malodorous heaps left behind at mid-campsite.
My cousin.......2006-03-30
I read this book a couple years after it came out. I am now reodering it for my daughter as I have lost my original copy. One of the girls in this book was my cousin who was a couple years older than me at the time this happened. I could not read it at first but later could not put it down. Well written and respectful of the victims and their families. I have been to this park and it is truly beautiful.
ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING.......2006-01-05
I first read this book in the early 70's and have re-read it countless times since. It's amazingly well-written, descriptive, and painstakingly researched, as well as sensitive to the people, victims and otherwise, involved in this tragedy. It builds up effectively from an overview of Glacier Park and the people who will become involved in the story, and the events leading up to "the long weekend," when 2 young girls were killed- and eaten- by 2 different bears on the same night. The book is not sensationalist but the actual sequence of events will make every hair you own stand on end and hopefully dissuade you from ever camping out without a tent in bear country.
Favorite Book.......2005-07-09
When asked for my favorite book, this is usually the answer. I don't know that this was a pioneer in the man vs. man-made-complicated-natural disaster genre (ala Into Thin Air or A Perfect Storm), but it's a masterpiece of its kind. What Jaws did for swimming at the beach, this does for camping trips and zoo visits. Try it.
Book Description
In the tradition of Jon KrakauerÂ's Into the Wild and Peter JenkinsÂ's Looking for Alaska, a riveting adventure story of one manÂ's passion to understand and protect the grizzly bear—and his last foolhardy, violent encounter with one
Ursus arctos horribilis, commonly known as the grizzly or brown bear, is one of the most feared animals on the planet. As its most outspoken protector, Timothy Treadwell tirelessly sought to overturn the perception of grizzlies as dangerously aggressive. It was therefore a media sensation when in October 2003 Treadwell and his girlfriend were fatally mauled by a bear in AlaskaÂ's Katmai National Park, the first such attack in the park in eighty-five years. The horrifying audiotape of TreadwellÂ's final, frantic screams begged the question: How could this happen?
In The Grizzly Maze, Nick Jans, who for years has written expertly and lyrically about the Alaskan wilderness, ventures to answer this question. Based on exclusive access to the killing site and his own and otherÂ's expert knowledge of Alaskan bears, Jans plots out TreadwellÂ's final expedition and encounter with the grizzly. In doing so, Jans provides a moving and complex portrait of the man known as the “Bear Whisperer,” whose controversial ideas earned him the scorn of hunters, the adoration of some animal lovers, and the skepticism of naturalists. The Grizzly Maze also offers a definitive, close-up look at bears, bear behavior, and our complicated relationship with them. It promises to be the blockbuster adventure read of the season.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book That Demonstrates What we Should NOT Do In Bear Country.......2007-03-04
There is no denying that this is an well written book, that does a great job of explaining the events that led up to Timothy Treadwell's death by the animals he loved.
Many people comment on how he lived his life the way he wanted and that alone justifies his actions.
In reality Timothy endangered not only himself but every other person who may have come in contact with these bears. He conditioned them not only to the presence of humans, but he reacted to them in ways that another person may not. In that case the bear could have interpreted the different action as hostile, and we would have had another mauled or dead person. Just like a visitor at Yellowstone who leaves open food contaniers at the campsite teaches bears that humans are a source of food, Timothy took away any natural fear the bears had of humans. That cost him his life.
Bears are wild animals, capable of killing. They should be respected and admired, but anything that conditions bears to the presence of people should be avoided.
This is a great book to try to understand Timothy but it is also a testament that wild, dangerous things need to be respected.
my hikes will never be the same..............2007-02-08
What a great book, informative, intersting and very well written.
Great job Nick!
As an avid hiker (from Juneau) I never even took a stick with me in the past and have seen many bears over the years.
Once I hiked a trail that had not been maintained anymore and ended up in a meadow full of recently used "nests" and plenty of poop.
I turned around and left, but never knew how dangerous this place could have been until I read the book.
I will change my (hiking-)ways for sure!
This book is a must for any outdoor enthusiast in bear country.
A Riveting love story of a man and the bears he adored.......2007-01-30
I loved this book. I am into nature reading and just stumbled across this book. It is a thriller to say the least and I read it in just a couple of days and could not put it down. Now I find myself seeking out everything I can find to read and hear about Timothy Treadwell. The author does a fairly neutral commentary on his story although slightly on the negative side. I have to say I did not come away with anger towards Timothy Treadwell, but a deep admiration of someone who did what he loved and tried to contribute something to the world. The information at the end regarding bear attacks I would think would be invaluable to persons that are wilderness people. It is very detailed and easy to understand. This book was very much an emotional experience for me and I am still grieving for Tim and Amy's deaths even though I never knew them. Even though I have no anger at all towards Tim, I do towards the so called overeducated experts who instead of rejecting Tim could have tried harder (in my opinion) to pull him in and help him. This might could have saved his life if he had gotten more support rather than just snobby rejection. I wish I could have met Timothy Treadwell. Although, I have doubts about his mental stability, he did have passion and that is rare in today's world.
"Animal Protection" Gone Awry.......2007-01-04
I found this book to be a real page-turner. Timothy Treadwell imagined himself to be a protector of bears, when in reality he was a great danger to them. He had access to a great deal of professional help and advice but unfortunately considered himself to be the greatest authority of all. Anyone who has the tiniest inkling to research bears versus human behavior would find out quickly that habituating bears to humans is anathema to both, at the least. View the DVD "Grizzly Man", and read this book to see a disturbed man destroying not only his own life but the life of another, innocent, human and possibly many bears.
Read with Confidence.......2006-09-05
Being a nature photographer but quite unfamiliar with bears, it was with great interest that I read comments in an on-line forum about Grizzly Man, Tim Treadwell, a Californian who went to Alaska for 13 summers to be with the brown bears on the Katmai coast. He raised California and Colorado money to fund these summers with the bears and foxes and subsequent programs for school kids. I had never heard of Timothy Treadwell or Amie H., the person who camped with him part of that final summer in 2003, until reading the threads and digging in to find out more. But the news of their hardships, ambiguous relationships with themselves and the bears, and subsequent shocking deaths as told by Alaskan writer-photographer Nick Jans in "The Grizzly Maze" was hard to put away. The book is a thriller, not only for what we learn about Ursus but that the reader, from a safe distance, can imagine the situation so clearly.
Nick Jans has a way with words. Whether morbid or having to do with human motivation, he cleanly lays out information but then turns around and presents the other sides or another plausible angle. There's all the possibility for a tangled mess in this maze, but the author leads clearly and we follow without getting lost. That's a neat feat. He has the ability to ask the questions we are thinking; yes, every one. Just as we're about to ask the next question, he asks it for us. It's as if Jans can read the reader.
For example, we wonder and he asks, "Why?" Who in their right minds would willingly camp at the crossroads of ancient bear trails, especially at the end of the season when bears were making final attempts to do what bears do, eat and den away in fat oblivion for the winter? On the other hand, given one's choices, who wouldn't exercise absolute ultimate control in their own life, living freely where and when possible, answering to few people until something better comes along? The answers are too complex; it may seem a bit too easy for some to say, "Only a crazy would do something like that."
The book is packed with facts, but beyond that, we watch with fascination as other humans go about picking up the pieces after the attack, literally and figuratively. Nick has the ability to let us see where we're going or why he took us somewhere. He knows some of us are plain stupid around bears but by the end of the book, we're with him for what he has to tell us about bears and those who seek them out. I never distrusted the author's style for leaving me hanging or hitting me over the head, so for those who really want to know all that is known about what went on there, you can read with confidence in "The Grizzly Maze."
Book Description
An extraordinary story of survival and recovery by a woman who was attacked by a grizzly bear.
On a sunny fall day in 1983, Patricia Van Tighem and her husband, Trevor, began a hiking trip in the Canadian Rockies with a two-thousand-foot climb through rocks and forest. The next morning, in a landscape dusted by snow, they crossed paths with a grizzly bear–and their lives were forever changed.
That Van Tighem survived at all is a miracle, and her account of the attack is vivid and startling. But her recovery was just as disturbing: Her numerous reconstructive surgeries were painful; her facial
disfigurement isolated her; and the nightmares that haunted her carried their own psychological burden. Yet she was eventually able to accept her unthinkable experiences, and to put her life back together as a survivor, a wife, and a mother.
With honesty and eloquence, The Bear’s Embrace tells of the unpredictability of life, of bravery, terror, rage and love, of what it means to look and feel different in a culture that values perfection. Uncommonly affecting, often astonishing, The Bear’s Embrace is an inspiring story of human
perseverance and self-knowledge.
Customer Reviews:
Bittersweet story of survival.......2006-01-29
Patricia "Trish" van Tighem - a vicacious, pretty young nurse and her pediatric resident husband of three years are out hiking when they are mauled by a grizzly bear. This is the story of the ensuing 15 years including the many surgeries Patricia went through and her depression that ensued as a result of the pain she has had to endure along with the disfiguration caused by the attack.
Trish and Trevor had everything going for them when they, two experienced backpackers, took a well-deserved weekend off to do something they enjoyed. They took all the necessary precautions but the couldn't escape a particularly aggressive female grizzly one fall day in Waterton Lakes National Park south of their home in Calgary, Alberta. Trevor was attacked first and Trish was torn between helping him or climbing a tree to save herself-she had always been told grizzlies couldn't climb trees. But due to their experience, the cold weather, and two hikers who find them soon after the attack, they both survive. This book is less about the attack itself than the years afterwards including quite a bit about their initial time in the hospital, Trish's many surgeries, and their life in rural Canada with (eventually) four children.
This book was a bittersweet read for me as I read it after hearing of Trish's death by suicide in December of 2005 at the age of 47. So I knew that although the book ended on an upbeat note, that the real story hadn't ended and it didn't end happily. I also knew that at the time of her death Trish and Trevor were separated. That may have colored my opinion of Trevor from the very beginning, but I did find him a bit selfish throughout the entire book and even though he seemed to try to accept Trish after her injuries, I don't think he ever truly could deal with her disfigurement. All in all though the book was a mesmerizing read. Trish was a talented writer and this is a stunning story. I highly recommend it.
Rest in peace, dear lady.......2005-12-31
First, the book. It is sometimes hard going to read about such a horrific experience as a grizzly bear attack and its excruciating aftermath, but believe me, it is worth it. This is a book that will exhaust your emotions, it will make you FEEL and marvel at how much one human being can endure. It will do that, unless you are a relatively shallow human being, uninterested in the human condition and emotions, as some of the reviewers of this book are. So "The Bear's Embrace" has "very little action", is "boring" and describes "pointless suffering"? Oh, please God help me! A story about a grizzly bear attack and the frantic attempts to save the victims has "very little action"? A woman's attempt to cope with the disfigurement of her face and the ensuing torture of constant pain and infection is "boring"? Her severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, her forever-changed relationship with her husband, their Down's syndrome baby, the loss of an eye, the incredible pain from her injuries and infection that just seemed to go on and on is "POINTLESS SUFFERING"? Well, let me tell you something. NO suffering is "pointless". You poor readers, having to read such a "boring" book; no murders or sex or car explosions, WAAAHHH! This is an incredible book about an incredible quirk of fate that changes a woman's life forever; it is a tale of endurance and survival that will move you deeply. You wonder "how could anybody STAND this"? Ms. Tighem did...for a long time. But it got to a point where she simply could stand no more. She committed suicide on Dec. 17, 2005. She was 47. I hope that she is now at peace, without any pain at last. She was a courageous, remarkable woman...rest in peace, dear lady.
What can I say, she says it all........2003-10-22
I picked up this book for resale, and I leafed through it. I was caught at page 16 and sat down to read it all. I did. The attack, the recovery, the emotions, and finally the resolve. This woman has been through hell and lived to tell the tale. The life we all have, or will, experience: Marriage, love, accident, loss of a loved parent/child. A less than perfect life. I hope you will never know the sorrow this woman has been through, but I hope her story will enlighten you to be strong, and deal with your demons before they bring you down. And, by the way, she is an excellent writer.
Incredibly Brave Book.......2003-09-05
PTSD is a wickedly subtle thing that can creep into your life without you having the slightest clue what it is or what the far reaching effects may be. It can be the result of a pointed trauma or something smaller, such as an adverse emotional experience. Ms. Van Tighem seems to have no interest in exploiting her drama for the sake of attention, but perhaps seeks validation for her experience exactly how it happened- a few hours of horrifying excitement during and immediately after the attack, and more pointedly, the reality of the long term effects of this life altering incident to herself and her family over the following seventeen years. It is something that is often missing in the bear attack story compilations on bookshelves today. Kudos to this author for finding the bravery and the shameless audacity to actually write a true story, as is.
Open and honest about the aftermath of trauma.......2002-07-20
With heartrending honesty, Patricia Van Tighem invites the reader into her nightmare of physical and emotional disabilities and the struggle to put her life back together after the brutal attack she experienced. Having experienced PTSD after the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989, I could relate to her stress and confusion. Factor in her unending pain, the loss of her appearance, people's stares, and the callous, judgmental treatment she received at a hospital, and you have a woman who had overwhelming issues to deal with.
I have nothing but praise for Patricia's willingness to candidly share her struggle with others. I hope she continues to write.
Book Description
Must read for anyone interested in these magnificant creatures - filled with the true stories of recent bear attacks.
Customer Reviews:
Due for a revised edition, more like reading a novel.......2007-10-07
Chapter was fun and interesting to read. Written like a story, describing the characters involved, going outside what is relevant to the grizzly relating topic. That is not wrong by itself but just shows the 'novel' style of the book. It mentions bite marks in a wallet, then never mentions if they were used to identify the bear, the outcome of not having identified the destroyed bears with 100% certainty suggests it didn't.
Chapter 2 is mainly about Banff, back in 1998, this chapter needs a complete rewrite, it's old and out of date.
I found the book lacked scientific structure, that is, systematic and consistent.
If you are looking for an entertaining book, it's fine, fore bear behavior and analysis, Herrero's book is much better structured and focused on bear behavior.
Scared the Beejabers Out of Me!.......2007-08-16
OK, then. I bought this book in Livingston, Montana a couple of weeks ago, while on vacation. It was absolutely outstanding in every way. Mr. McMillion is a talented writer and can pull the reader along with his spot-on verbal imagery and rip-roaring psychological expositions of the human vs. bear encounters.
I say Pffft! to all those whose reading pleasure was marred by their own neuroses; namely, that the Politically Correct always manage to make room for an offense, no matter if there is none offered. Scott McMillion told his stories, pure and simple. They were horrifyingly real, as they were meant to be, with the message that, as human souls, we need to take greater heed when we either cross a busy street or trundle gaily across a verdant, scat-covered pasture.
Of course, after having read the book, I saw a grizzly behind every tree in Montana. I carried a big stick into Albertson's. It was great! What an adventure!
Frightening but informative.......2007-04-15
I purchased this book after seeing a news report of a bear a local park where I take my daughter ALL the time. That was just a black bear, but I can't imagine what I would have done had I encountered it while my daughter was on the swingset there. Reading this book of bear attack stories was more empowering than I expected, since it gets into the 'whys' of bear attacks, tells you what not to do, and explores the bear's reasons for attacking. At least now I know that running and fighting are useless, guns don't usually help, and that the best thing to do is make yourself seem non-threatening (play dead). The author explains why through these attack stories, which are sometimes difficult to read--very detailed--but serve a purpose beyond shock value. A large part of the book focuses on conservation of wildlife lands, the bear's role in the ecosystem, and overall respect for this animal who is actually less threatening than other dangers in national parks (car accidents, falls, etc. kill more). Definitely worthwhile reading for outdoor enthusiasts, hikers, hunters, campers, and anyone too afraid of bears to enjoy the outdoors. Knowledge is power.
Insights Into Bear Behavior. .......2007-04-01
"Mark Of The Grizzly" by Scott McMillion. Subtitled: "True Stories Of Recent Bear Attacks And The Hard Lessons Learned". Falcon Publishing, Helena, Montana, 1998.
While checking out books at the Plymouth Public Library, I saw this book on display. On a whim, I also checked it out. I found this book to be anything but whimsical. There are 20 chapters, with at least 18 different stories of bear attacks embedded within them. The medical details are horrible. If the author, Scott McMillion, had written about automobile accidents and described the how a windshield (or some other auto part) had swept in and scalped the woman, I believe that the editor would have told him to tone it down. But slicing off the skin and underlying tissues covering the skull is only one terrible injury the author describes in this book. Long fangs crushing eye sockets. Ulna and radius being crushed in jaws. Crushing and ripping, with bloody stains and bloody clothes. And then, covering up the body, with dirt, for future reference and for lunch! Throughout all these stories, I think that Scott McMillion implies that the problem or fault rests with the human interloper.
Back in 1976, (recall, the movie "Jaws" was fresh then), when I was teaching probability and reliability, I would give my students an example of reducing the probability of an event to zero: if you wanted a zero probability of shark attack, then move to Kansas where there are no oceans and no chance of shark attack. In Kansas, Shark Attack Probability tends towards zero! Right! Is that what Scott McMillion wants? Should all human beings keep out of the forests, just to avoid the bears? The bears were there first. The author recommends pepper spray to ward off bear attacks but then admits that this works only about half the time. Mr. McMillion's stories repeatedly remind us that firearms are not sufficient when the bear charges rapidly and unexpectedly. Our understanding of bear attacks appears to be as deficient as our understanding of shark attacks. So?
I was born and raised in Manhattan (went to Manhattan College, too, but the College is in The Bronx). I saw polar bears at the Central Park Zoo. Never saw a grizzly. However, I did see a Liger and a Tigon, when I was young boy. I volunteered for the United States Navy, so I never lugged a back pack and weapons as we marched along (that was fifty years ago). I do not think you will ever find me walking under a forest canopy, worrying about bears snuffling along. So, Mr. McMillion, thank you for your interesting book with the insights into bear behavior.
Brother Bear.......2007-01-05
This book consists of a collection of accounts of humankind encountering grizzly bears and the unfortunate (unfortunate both for the humans and for the bears) consequenses of those encounters.
Each chapter or account stands on its own. In that respect, it is like a book of short stories.
One strength of this book lies in that each account takes place under relatively different circumstances and results in a relatively different outcome. The particular incidents relayed vary enough that, although you're reading a book of bear attacks, it does not feel like you're reading the same thing over and over. In fact, I wanted more.
Another strength is the author's writing. This is a good read.
Some have accused the author of being overly "preachy."
That was not the impression I had when reading the book. I thought the author treated his subject reverently without going overboard. He could have been more preachy. "Big Trouble in Banff" and "A Picture to Die For" are just two chapters in which the author must've had to exercise a lot of restraint.
If you're looking for pure excitement or horror, wherein bears are evil and maliciously stalk and kill humans (e.g. the shark in Jaws), this is not the book to read.
For anyone else, however,...
Product Description
Colorado author Linda Masterson dispels myths, replaces fear with respect, and lays the foundation for improving human-black bear relations with an inside look at the fascinating world of these highly intelligent, adaptable and resourceful animals found in 41 U.S. states and every province in Canada. With over 900,000 black bears roaming North America today, people from Florida to British Columbia are encountering bears more often, and as a result, human-bear conflicts are on the rise. This guidebook to life in bear country is packed with a wealth of useful and often surprising information, and down-to-earth advice from bear experts all over the continent, along with real-life stories from wildlife managers, organizations and communities who've discovered creative, workable ways for people and bears to share space. - Understanding Black Bears and Their Behavior - Bear-Proofing Your Home - Safe Trash Stashing - Hiking, Camping & Playing in Bear Country - Birdfeeding, Bee-Keeping in Bear Country - Gardening, Orchards & Farming in Bear Country - Bear Behavior Modification - Avoiding Encounters & Attacks - Appendix: bear organizations, volunteer groups, state agencies, resources and index Case Studies from National Parks, wildlife sanctuaries and communities in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, Tennessee, Washington, Nevada, California, Minnesota and Canada.
Customer Reviews:
Woods dwellers: Buy This Book!!!.......2007-08-26
Everyone who lives where ANY wild animals are, not just bears, would benefit from reading this book, and equally important, the animals would benefit from people reading this book. It tells how to coexist and enjoy nature without creating or having to deal with problem animals. When people and animals clash, the animals always lose in the end, so help yourself and them with the good advice in this book.
A good general guide.......2007-07-12
This book is worth the money and proviodes lots of good tips for avoiding conflicts. It does not contain much information on bear biology, but then again it doesn't present itself as a natural history guide. I would reccommend it to anyone interested in bear-human conflicts.
Fun to read, accurate, practical.......2007-06-13
This is far and away the best book available for a typical person who has a home or cabin in bear country and wants to know how to cope with bears. It doesn't read like a boring textbook--the writing is light and easy. But retired Colorado Division of Wildlife Conservation biologist Tom Beck did the technical editing, so it's accurate. Most books about bears have not been reviewed by a real expert, so they're filled with erroneous information--some of it quite dangerous. You can trust the advice in this book. It's practical without being preachy. If you decide to be a beekeeper in black bear country--yep, bears do like honey--Living With Bears gives you detailed instructions on how to keep bears out with an electric fence. It provides pragmatic advice for any bear situation you're likely to encounter. If you live in bear country and you want to be a good neighbor, this book will help you understand why bears behave the way they do. Outstanding.
Bears, bears, bears!!!.......2007-05-09
This book is awesome!! The perfect guide to co-existing with our big furry creature. I live in bear country and the bears are definitely out and about. Linda Masterson's book has helped me tremendously with methods of establishing boundaries and educating me on bear behavior. The book is easy to read and I would highly recommend you have it on hand!
Good advice for those who visit or live in bear habitat.......2007-01-05
This book should be required reading for anyone who vacations or moves into bear country. Through the words of expert biologists in the field as well as the experiences of communities that have developed plans to keep bears and people safe, Linda Masterson offers valuable advice. When it comes to coexistence with bears, education is the key, and this book offers very practical education. As an educator for Appalachian Bear Rescue and a presenter of bear programs, I find this book to be an invaluable resource.
Book Description
Eyewitnesses, investigators, and survivors tell their stories of face-to-face encounters with bears in the wild
Customer Reviews:
KILLED BEARS.......2005-09-27
Very well written,informative and refreshing. The author writes about a number of incidents which I have not read about elsewhere, an accomplishment given the glut of bear attack books on the market which often rehash the same attacks. The author is not as radical as fellow BC author JG Shelton, so there is not the constant undercurrent of advancing an agenda. The backstory of tracking down the interviews lends local color and the feeling of being there that only the best outdoor writers can accomplish.
Not Bad but Not Larry Kanuit Either.......2005-06-18
This book is very informative but is not as well written as Larry K's. I think if I'd read this one first I would have liked it more. All in All not a bad read though.
Real-life stories of survivors of bear attacks.......2001-12-13
What causes killer bear attacks, can they be prevented, and how have humans survived? Killer Bears gathers real-life stories of survivors of bear attacks, supplementing their first-person face-to-face encounters with keys to understanding the behaviors of wild bears. An intriguing, absorbing title which can be pursued as a leisure/adventure read and a natural history of bears.
Customer Reviews:
You need to read these books.......2007-05-16
This is the third book in a series by this author -- these books represent the absolute best information on bear attack survival available anywhere. If you spend any time in bear country, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to read these books. I have a set at home and a set in my cabin in the Colorado Rockies for guests. The black bear population in the mountains within 40 miles of Denver is increasing. They are not cuddly.
Bear Encounters: Riveting Realities!.......2003-04-14
The best writers, it has been suggested, do not "tell" you the Truth, instead they "show" you the truth. The reason is that "demonstrated" Truth is seen more independently and to a greater degree is free from the author's bias or incompetence, and therefore gives you a clearer understanding of things.
So it is in the case of this very fine book on bears, which demonstrates the Truth ever so logically and objectively and also honors bears as the magnificent creatures they are.
While Mr. Shelton may never win any awards for purely literary achievement (at least not by the sanctimonious standards by which such awards are made), he does understand bears. And this book has a ring of truth more clear, more profound and more consistent, than most books I've ever read.
I reviewed one of Mr. Shelton's other books "Bear Attacks: the Deadly Truth" and many things which are true about that book are true about this one. One is that not everybody will appreciate everything Mr. Shelton writes. In particular, people who cannot face the reality that bears are NOT our cute and furry "friends" but can be vicious, cunning and extremely dangerous, may not like reading about it. Another is that this book also clearly demonstrates the tragic consequences of the stupid idea that animals are more important than people, or that they have rights, (which, being incapable of making responsible, moral decisions respecting others' rights, they most certainly do not!) Particularly dangerous is the idea that people should not participate in the ancient and eternal relationship of "prey and predator," which is to say hunting. Hunting is a natural process and always has been. And both you and your children (not to mention livestock and pets) are always safer in bear country where responsible, controlled hunting is permitted.
Written in a style similar to his other books, this book is easy to read, informative and highly entertaining. And it is Truthful! A must read for anyone venturing into bear country or interested in bears.
Books:
- Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas
- Big Jinny: The Story of a Grizzly Bear
- Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation: The Freshwater Fish of Tropical Africa
- Camping & tramping with Roosevelt
- Cape Cod
- CAPTIVATING LIFE
- Cloud Watcher (The Watcher Series, Book 4)
- Cockatiels! Pets-Breeding-Showing
- Culture and Global Change: Social Perceptions of Deforestation in the Lacandona Rain Forest in Mexico (Linking Levels of Analysis)
- Dancing on the Shore
Books Index
Books Home
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- Beautiful Stuff: Learning with Found Materials
- What Matters Most: How A Small Group of Pioneers Is Teaching Social Responsibility To Big Business,
- Without Smoking Gun: Was the Death of Lt. Cmdr. William Pitzer Part of the JFK Assassination Cover-u
- A History of Western Music
- Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth
- American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
- National and Regional Tourism Planning: Methodologies and Case Studies
- Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl-A Woman's Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship
- Money Madness: The Psychology of Saving, Spending, Loving, and Hating Money
Bears
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| Biological Sciences
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| Books
Mark of the Grizzly: True Stories of Recent Bear Attacks and the Hard Lessons Learned
Backcountry Bear Basics: The Definitive Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters (Mountaineers Outdoor Basics)
Bear Attacks of the Century: True Stories of Courage and Survival
Alaska Bear Tales
The Grizzly Maze: Timothy Treadwell's Fatal Obsession with Alaskan Bears
