The Blue Bear: A True Story of Friendship, Tragedy, and Survival in the Alaskan Wilderness

"The Blue Bear" by Lynn Schooler is a story of friends, of nature in all its raw and open forms, and of the possibilities of healing. The subject of this book -- just as photographer Michio Hoshino is quoted as saying about a Japanese documentary on him -- is actually Alaska itself. I enjoyed reading of the various journeys, both emotional and physical, that the author makes in his life, with the splendor of Alaska always providing a visual backdrop to the twists and turns in the plot. It was good that the author chose a more humble approach to his narrative as opposed to, for example, arrogantly listing all his conquests of the natural world, as we see in much of nature-related writings these days. I have to say, though, that after getting to know Japanese photographer Michio Hoshino better through the pages of this book, it was a bit difficult getting through the chapter in which he is literally taken away us. Of course, here in Japan, Hoshino is still considered something of a legend and his work lives on. Still, it was nice to be able to go behind the legend of a great photographer and human being, through such a gifted storyteller as author Schooler. A warm but tragic story that will leave you feeling much fuller inside than before.

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.

This is a beautiful book. Every personal and public library would be enriched by a copy. I wish I could buy 1000 copies and donate them myself. The story is a deeply-felt, tragic tribute to the universal themes embodied by a single man, Japanese photographer Michio Hoshino, but more particularly, by a powerful friendship. The author explores the significance of human connection in all its painful and exhilarating manifestations. His landscape is not only the Alaskan frontier, but also the rifts, chasms, towers and summits of his own life. His treatment of both geographies is intense, humble, deft and intimate. This is a story of survival and triumph that is timeless and applicable to the life experience of everyone. This is a book of a lifetime that can change you for the better... if you let it.

I was driving around, running errands on a hot June day, when I stumbled across a National Public Radio talk show on which Lynn Schooler was promoting this book. By the time it was over, I was at the nearest bookstore, sipping a cup of coffee and reading the first chapter of The Blue Bear.Schooler is a natural-born story-teller and his knowledge and love of the Alaskan wilderness make every paragraph glow with authenticity.Like most good books, the Blue Bear can be enjoyed and appreciated on many different levels: it's a wonderful adventure story, it captures the precious qualities of friendship and it encapsulates Schooler's life-affirming world view in a way that is powerful, but never preachy.

This book is true literature. The authors discriptions are very visual. I could not put the book down. It is more than just an adventure book. It is a story of true intimacy,personal discovery and tragedy. Schooler opens himself to the reader as if he is sharing his personal intermost secrets to his closest friend. It changed my life.