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meera_b3's review
5.0
Finished the book in one day.
For the first half of the book, It seemed a bit like "How to Maintain Electrical Fences to Keep out Bears from your Corn Field"
But I think it effectively related it to "Life and Death" by Millie ultimately being trapped by the fence built to keep bears out of the danger of humans. Depressingly ironic.
I cried a bit at the resilience Millie had to keep going despite her infected wounds and loss of sight and smell.
I think it was a beautiful book.
For the first half of the book, It seemed a bit like "How to Maintain Electrical Fences to Keep out Bears from your Corn Field"
But I think it effectively related it to "Life and Death" by Millie ultimately being trapped by the fence built to keep bears out of the danger of humans. Depressingly ironic.
I cried a bit at the resilience Millie had to keep going despite her infected wounds and loss of sight and smell.
I think it was a beautiful book.
colorfulleo92's review
4.0
I don't read/listen to nearly enough animal books and picked this up on a whim as I like bears but don't know much about them. Enjoyed the narration as well as the writing
guarinous's review
5.0
Down from the Mountain is Montana rancher Bryce Andrews' empathetic look at the changing lives of the grizzly bears still common in the wilder parts of the state. Focusing predominantly on a sow called Millie and her two cubs, Andrews details how bears attempting to fatten up for winter have become enticed by the readily available corn that is so heavily produced by dairy and cattle farms. Desperate farmers already working on razor thin margins are then more likely to come into conflict with the endangered bears in a dangerous clash between industry and nature. A former cattle rancher himself who got out of the business after witnessing one too many instances of distress when leading his stock to slaughter, Andrews is well positioned to tell this story.
Many of the pages in the first half of the book are devoted to Andrews' attempts to build an electrified fence around one of the farmer's cornfields to dissuade the bears from entering. Scattered throughout these descriptions are passages speculating on Millie's early life up to the point where she has cubs of her own. The fence sections are slower, with Andrews still unsure of his place among the bears. He feels drawn to them, in one wild instance describing himself as mysteriously drawn into the cornfield in the hopes of seeing one despite the obvious danger of approaching a sow with cubs.
The tragedy that strikes Millie and her cubs midway through the book is where Andrews finds his inspiration and voice for the bears. His attempts at helping to find the guilty party and his tireless search for a home for the cubs are admirable, and here his care and empathy for the bears shine through in the prose. Andrews ruminates towards the end about humanity's place in nature, and comes to the depressing (but prescient) conclusion that we will continue to cause harm.
Down from the Mountain is an important and timely book that shines a light on a cause and effect plight that may not be as well known as it should be. After finishing the book, I was interested enough to search for the Maryland Zoo online, where Millie's two cubs (now with names and quite a lot larger) were relocated and are still living.
***I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.***
Many of the pages in the first half of the book are devoted to Andrews' attempts to build an electrified fence around one of the farmer's cornfields to dissuade the bears from entering. Scattered throughout these descriptions are passages speculating on Millie's early life up to the point where she has cubs of her own. The fence sections are slower, with Andrews still unsure of his place among the bears. He feels drawn to them, in one wild instance describing himself as mysteriously drawn into the cornfield in the hopes of seeing one despite the obvious danger of approaching a sow with cubs.
The tragedy that strikes Millie and her cubs midway through the book is where Andrews finds his inspiration and voice for the bears. His attempts at helping to find the guilty party and his tireless search for a home for the cubs are admirable, and here his care and empathy for the bears shine through in the prose. Andrews ruminates towards the end about humanity's place in nature, and comes to the depressing (but prescient) conclusion that we will continue to cause harm.
Down from the Mountain is an important and timely book that shines a light on a cause and effect plight that may not be as well known as it should be. After finishing the book, I was interested enough to search for the Maryland Zoo online, where Millie's two cubs (now with names and quite a lot larger) were relocated and are still living.
***I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.***
liberrydude's review against another edition
4.0
A murder mystery in Montana. The victim is a mother grizzly bear. In the second book the city boy turned ranch hand turned conservationists chronicles his interactions with the deceased Millie and his attempts to prevent the grizzlies from overrunning corn fields. Grizzlies used to stay on the mountain but are now eschewing pine nuts, berries, and moths for harvested crops like corn. Corn is like crack cocaine for the bears. It’s causing more interactions between the bears and humans. It’s a poignant tale of man versus nature with too little nurture. Lots of introspection on our relationship with the natural world.
jolynne's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
A bit boring learning about electric fences but still a great lesson in grizzly management. It’s sad that there has to be a management but as usual, mankind has made its mark on the natural earth and it’s inhabitants.