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Title: The Blue Bear : A True Story of Friendship and Discovery in the Alaskan Wild by Lynn Schooler ISBN: 0060935731 Publisher: Ecco Pub. Date: 06 May, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95

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Average Customer Rating: 5

Rating: 5
Summary: A Haunting, Eloquent and Soulful Work
Comment: I picked up a copy of Lynn Schooler's book after skimming over the back cover, where the words "Alaska", "outdoors" and "Michio Hoshino" grabbed my attention. As a working photographer who grew up in Alaska (my present location is in Maine) I didn't hesitate to buy this book on the spot, even though I had never heard of it. I'm glad I bought it, for this is one of the best books I've read in awhile on ANY subject, and I do read a lot.

Yes, the book is about living Alaska, communing with nature, and wildlife photography, all of which interest me a great deal. But "The Blue Bear" is about a great deal more than that, touching on themes of friendship and heartbreaking loss, grieving and healing, insecurity and inspiration, hard work and personal reward...in short, an exceptional story of a man trying to find his way in the world and to understand his place in it. It is so well written and vividly presented that it goes beyond merely making you feel as though you were there; I think Lynn Schooler's gift (one of many, apparently) is making people feel almost as if they have met the people he writes about, visited the places he describes, and experienced along with him some of the joy and awe of nature, as well as the periods of pain, loneliness and isolation he so openly discusses in a quietly melancholic way.

The book is an interesting mixture of all of those aforementioned elements, sprinkled with interesting forays in Alaskan biology, history, culture, oceanography, the ups and downs of running a guide service, and the challenges, rewards, and hardships inherent with living in a place like Alaska. "The Blue Bear" is a book that defies categorization in many ways because it seems to be about so many different things, but Lynn Schooler writes with a clarity and depth of perspective which prevents the book from seeming trivial or glossed over. Some people are not patient with books which plunge into a section or chapter that may or may not relate directly to the underlying narrative thread. I for one do not mind these "offshoot branches" in books, so long as they hold my interest, as is the case with this book. A casual reader might think for a moment that Schooler is merely grandstanding and showing off his vast knowledge of his subjects, flexing his outdoor experience and intellect....but look just a bit deeper.... it becomes readily apparent that this is a writer who is unafraid of questioning himself or freely admitting that he is not always correct, who openly acknowledges and discusses his own faults (and we all have them) in a candid and refreshing way.

Reading this book also made me wish that I had the opportunity to meet Michio Hoshino, the late wildlife photographer whose work is respected worldwide. This is another testament to Lynn Schooler's writing. In all probability, my trails may have intersected with Michio's at different times during my years in Fairbanks while attending UAF and working on photography symposiums as a volunteer, but sadly, I never had the chance to meet the man whose work I admire very much, and worse yet, I never will. Here again, Lynn Schooler succeeds in relating his personal accounts and anecdotes of his time spent with Michio, a man who seemingly befriended just about everyone he ever met while bringing out the best in people and setting an inspiring example of living life to the fullest.

If you are even remotely interested in any of the topics or issues I have touched upon in this review, don't hesitate to buy a copy of this book. I'm betting that something in "The Blue Bear" will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.