The Blue Bear

A True Story of Friendship and Discovery in the Alaskan Wild

 
4.5 based on 11 reviews.

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Paperback Book, 288 pages

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Product Description

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.

Product Details

  • Subtitle: A True Story of Friendship and Discovery in the Alaskan Wild
  • Media: Paperback Book, 288 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial (May 01, 2003)
  • ISBN-10: 0060935731
  • ISBN-13: 9780060935733
  • Dimensions: 5.36 x 8.21 x 0.74 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 0.59 lbs
  • Note: Some of this information came from Amazon.com

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Customer Reviews

  • Rating What a wonderful story  Dec 29, 2003 (9 of 9 found this helpful)

    I received this book from my husband for Xmas. I sat down to read and when I turned the last page a scant day and a half had passed.

    It was a magical story about the wildlife in Alaska but moreso the love and friendship between two men searching/waiting for magical moments when the right light or animal would wander into their viewfinder. The elusive Blue Bear was the unseen elastic that kept bringing these two friends together over the time it took to finally capture the bear. Life's lessons are too true when Lynn was robbed of sharing his great moment with his friend.

    I would recommend this book to anyone looking to lose about a day and a half to time well spent. I lost myself in a very good read and now am feeling at a loss when the last page has been turned and I am wishing there was at least another 1000 pages to go.

  • Rating Awesome writing  Jan 6, 2005 (6 of 6 found this helpful)

    An amazing story coupled with great writing makes for a great read. I've traveled to Alaska and the Pacific Northwest three times and have never read a book that does a better job of summing up the power and beauty of the region. Lynn Schooler adds such personal touches that I feel I was there with him and Michio. His feelings about nature, glaciers, and the grand scheme of life and death remind me of the book 'Freedom is the Highest Good' by Tim Hammell

  • Rating "Michio,where the hell are you,now that we've finally found the bear."  Aug 20, 2005 (4 of 4 found this helpful)


    I had this book recommended to me by a friend who has a deep interest in bears ,has travelled widely and seen and watched many up close in their natural habitat;including in Alaska.She has shown me photos of standing only a few feet from wild Grizzly bears.I could hardly believe it, when she told me how approachable they were for experts and the pictures convinced me.Not to say, that I wouldn't keep my distance and give them utmost respect.When she told me this was an excellent book,and that I would enjoy it,I knew I was in for a great read.In other words,since it impressed her so much,it was sure to be good.
    I read a lot of "Nature" books and spend an awful lot of time outdoors birding and am very familiar with the enjoyment and spirituality one gets from that wonderous combination of people,animals, landscape,sounds and silence,weather and atmosphere,and all that is encompassed when one partakes in a relationship with nature.
    The excitement one gets when finding something new or just observing something seen before, is undescribable; but Schooler does as good a job of it as any nature writer that I have come across.He writes from the soul and great love he gets from living.Yes,this book is about the Blue Bear,Alaska and his friend and soulmate Michio,along with many other things,but what he really is writing about is the great enjoyment life is if one really learns to appreciate it.From this book you should learn that it is not only in Alaska that such enjoyment can be found.It is in the desert looking at sunsets,cactii and Roadrunners,in the forest searching out a Barred Owl,on the ocean watching a Tropicbird,sitting at a campsite when a Moose appears,or watching and trying to identify up to 20 different species of Gulls around Niagara Falls in the winter when it is wet windy and bitterly cold;or any of the millions of things the Creator has provided.
    I'd like to quote a few things that demonstrate the excellence of the author's writing skills:
    "Everything always gets what it needs."
    "Home is not always a door at the end of a sidewalk.
    Sometimes it is a broader place that holds the shape of the
    sky,the water we drink,and the food that becomes the minerals
    of our bones,Sometimes it is the sum of our experiences and
    memories,and sometimes it is wherever we happen to be-if
    we are with the right companion."
    "As a photographer,,"Michio taught me how to 'look' with
    my eyes-- but as a friend,how to 'see' with my heart."
    An excellent read for anyone who enjoys life,and a great eyeopener for anyone who thinks life is boring.

  • Rating I LOVED this book!!  Jun 29, 2007 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

    This book was probably the best book I have read in a long long time. It takes a LOT for me to say "I couldn't put it down" but I COULDN'T!!! It was written so well and so compellingly interesting, it was over before I knew it, and I wanted more. I do hope that Lynn Schooler writes again about ANYTHING ALASKA. A terrific find.

  • Rating Friendship & Tragedy  Apr 16, 2007 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

    I have been reading a lot of non-fiction Northern Frontier/Alaskan books and this was one of the better ones. A great read about a new friendship developing over something that was so rare and elusive. And yet such a sad and tragic end... Highly recommended. It's more about friendship than just that blue bear...

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