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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
A little directionless. The anecdotes are individually interesting, but there isn't much motivation to finish because I didn't know what to be looking forward to.
4.5 stars rounded up. I didn't get into the memoir portion of the book, but its beautifully written, has a Very fascinating history with an enthralling way of telling it, and good exploration of why people (myself included) have an interest in creatures such as bears.
I particularly liked the discussion on why people still hunt bears. It goes for big-game hunting in general, that people feel there is a certain kind of "intimacy" that goes with killing large animals in order to truly get close and understand them. I personally think this is deranged and liked the line the author included that goes something like "rapists think they're being intimate with their victims, too"
I loved the history, all these "mountain men" types throughout American history. How hunting was both a masculinity test and a spit in the face of some native beliefs. I liked the conservationist efforts, too.
There isn't really a strong central message or thesis of the book, but more of the what the blurb says. An exploration of brown bears, the written history about them, how they are treated and interacted with now. I thought it was all very interesting and gave me some interesting historical figures to look into as well
I particularly liked the discussion on why people still hunt bears. It goes for big-game hunting in general, that people feel there is a certain kind of "intimacy" that goes with killing large animals in order to truly get close and understand them. I personally think this is deranged and liked the line the author included that goes something like "rapists think they're being intimate with their victims, too"
I loved the history, all these "mountain men" types throughout American history. How hunting was both a masculinity test and a spit in the face of some native beliefs. I liked the conservationist efforts, too.
There isn't really a strong central message or thesis of the book, but more of the what the blurb says. An exploration of brown bears, the written history about them, how they are treated and interacted with now. I thought it was all very interesting and gave me some interesting historical figures to look into as well
informative
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
A book deeply of the wilderness, A Shape in the Dark looks at brown bears (and grizzlies, a subspecies of the brown bear) through telling stories: the author's stories of growing up in and exploring Alaska where bears still roam, stories of actions taken toward bears earlier in American history, and stories of bear encounters - famous and mundane, personal and secondhand. The prose is haunting and, as I'm sure the author intended, vividly evokes the places he writes about. I wish there had been a stronger core to the book or a clear point he wished to communicate, but it was an enjoyable read overall.
slow-paced
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced