The Blue Bear: A True Story of Friendship and Discovery in the Alaskan Wild - Softcover

Schooler, Lynn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060935731 ISBN 13: 9780060935733

Publisher: Ecco Press, 2003

Synopsis

With a body twisted by adolescent scoliosis and memories of the brutal death of a woman he loved, Lynn Schooler kept the world at arm's length, drifting through the wilds of Alaska as a commercial fisherman, outdoorsman, and wilderness guide. In 1990, Schooler met Japanese photographer Michio Hoshino, and began a profound friendship cemented by a shared love of adventure and a passionate quest to find the elusive glacier bear, an exceedingly rare creature, seldom seen and shrouded in legend. But only after Hoshino's tragic death from a bear attack does Schooler succeed in photographing the animal -- completing a remarkable journey that ultimately brings new meaning to his life.

The Blue Bear is an unforgettable book. Set amid the wild archipelagoes, deep glittering fjords, and dense primordial forests of Alaska's Glacier Coast, it is rich with the lyric sensibility and stunning prose of such nature classics as Barry Lopez's Arctic Dreams and Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard.

About this title

Review:

In The Blue Bear wildlife guide Lynn Schooler writes, "People step into the [Alaskan] landscape and vanish without a trace." The book is an ode to the wild beauty of the Alaskan coast, an unusual friendship and a mysterious bear with fur the colour of "burnished metal". Schooler spent a decade searching for the elusive blue (or glacier) bear with Michio Hoshino, Japan's pre-eminent wildlife photographer. Hoshino was a gentle genius who would sit still for hours, his face swelling from mosquito bites, for the perfect photograph, and who had the same patience and consideration for a bruised heart like Schooler's. Schooler had lost all ability to trust, scarred first by the scorn of classmates for his twisted body and finally by the brutal murder of the woman he loved. But as a guide--both for wildlife photographers and for readers of this evocative and gracefully composed memoir--he richly reveals the place that sustains him. Schooler makes remarkable connections between whales and the complex workings of old-growth forests, between glaciers dropping 100-foot columns of ice into waiting fjords and the breathing of the planet. Ultimately, though, it is Hoshino's death by a bear that finally enables Schooler to make peace with humanity and death. This is a quiet, profound gem. --Lesley Reed

Review:

"Set amid the awe-inspiring beauty of Alaska's Glacier Coast, The Blue Bear is a graceful book...."--Oregonian

"[Schooler's] prose is pure cinematography, with Alaska made a character in the story."--Seattle Times

"The Blue Bear is sublime. [Schooler] threads us into the intimacy of Alaska's nature."--New York Times Book Review

"The strength of this beautifully crafted memoir lies in its evocation of the overpowering Alaskan landscape...."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About this edition

• Publisher: Ecco Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0060935731
• ISBN 13: 9780060935733
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288