The Blue Bear: A True Story of Friendship and Discovery in the Alaskan Wild

by Lynn Schooler

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Memoir, Adventure, Animals, Travel, Biography

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2002

About the author

Lynn is a critically acclaimed writer, guide, and outdoorsman whose work has been published in more than a dozen languages. His first book, The Blue Bear, was awarded the French literary prize Prix Littéraire 30 Millions d'Amis. His most recent non-fiction work, Walking Home, won the 2010 Banff Mountain Festival's 'Best Mountain Literature' prize. His first novel, published under the pen name Lynn D'Urso, was a finalist for the 2011 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award and named as a USA Today Best Book. He was also the 2002 Editors at Amazon.com's #1 Choice of Nature Writers.

Reviews

[Kate The Book Addict · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read on life in Alaska and some of what you’d need to know in order to survive there, and the horrible results of bear attacks. It’s a beautiful story. There’s very in depth background information but if you’re not interested in all that, you can skim it and stay in the story. Some parts do get a little too deep in historical knowledge, but it’s all very well-written.

[Andrea Conarro · Rating 4 out of 5]

What did I think? It was my weekend indulgence, pressed because I had borrowed my parents' copy, pressed because I wanted to get it read quick.

I thought author Lynn Schooler was a bit self involved at times, but who among us isn't? When he spoke of his twisting scoliosis spine causing him to distrust and become a hermit, I felt like giving him the Cher treatment in Moonstruck--slapping him across the face and saying, "Snap out of it!" But I also did not ultimately mind his wound-licking moments. Seems like time in the wide open wild would lend itself to feeling both insignificant but also feeling like the most significant (and only) being in existence.

I thought the writing laced with taxonomical(?) musings was very well done. I appreciate lichen all the more for understanding its inability to fit into any category. I plan to try to discern whether the next killer whale I see is a "resident" or a "transient" (the transients being the more mysterious, silent, and sinister, of course). The footnotes lent the book an authoritative air that suited the author, and I could imagine him leading a crew into the fjords of southeast Alaska, speaking on all manner of topics in a know-it-all-ish but vulnerable-under-it-all-ish manner.

I also came to love Michio, just as the author did. "Everything gets what it needs" reminded me of "Water always finds its level"--who can argue with nature, with the master plan afoot in all life? I was angry at him for sleeping in a tent when he had been warned, because of the fate that befell him, but it was hard to stay angry when I read his final written words of the "Nanook" ("Bear"), in a children's story reproduced here, stating that Bear and Man have no real line between them, that one life matters not more than the other... Left me kind of lolling back on the sofa for a few minutes, absorbing.

It's been several hours since I read the last pages and I am still absorbing. Kind of like a particularly heavy dream from which you awake but remain in that cloud of dream-feeling all day long.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a complete package of excellent writing, accurate descriptions of nature and Alaskan culture, and a thoughtful story of a beautiful friendship. The author describes his meeting of Michio, a professional photographer from Japan who books a charter of the author's boat in SE Alaska. Over time, despite the temporary nature of relationships of guide and client, an unlikely relationship develops. The author teaches the client about the nature of SE AK and slowly the client teaches the author about love and life.

I loved the writing for its spare use of language and how it weaves natural and cultural history into the narrative.

[Teresa Dicentra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blue Bear by Lynn Schooler

I have not enjoyed a book this much in a very long time! Excellent read.

This nature adventure story takes place mostly in South East Alaska, but it is not like any other book I have ever read about Alaska.

Non-fiction, and somewhat autobiographical, it tells the story of personal tragedy, natural history and friendship between the author and his photographer friend, Michio Hosino. In a way, it is a wonderful tribute to Hoshino and his work.

The book starts very slowly with Schooler’s solitary and lonely life, first with his battle with scoliosis as a child, then as a whale watching tour guide. This is where he first meets Hoshino.

In addition to being an amazing photographer, Hosino was also a wonderful cook and apparently a risk taker. Some of they choices he makes are not the best ones. Often he would be so engrossed in his photography that he ends up in potentially dangerous situations. This is true for the author as well. In one scene, they get WAY to close to a pod of humpback whales that are bubble net feeding, putting the boat and everyone on it at risk.

Throughout the book, the author sometimes goes off on tangents about natural history or Native American folk lore. Not only is this interesting, he always comes back to make his point.

Being from the Pacific Northwest, a lot of the place names are familiar to me. Vancouver for example, is vanCouverden in Dutch. The cycle and connection of the old growth forests to the sea was especially interesting. As was the Tlingit history of the Kake wars. It was completely tangential to the real story, but interesting nonetheless.

The writing itself is poetic, but not sappy or cliché-filled. It is not pretentious, but uses a wide variety of vocabulary to make his points and illustrate Alaska to us. To give you an example, chapter 2 opens with this:

The slate-colored bird crouched flat to the ground and spread its wings in a threatening pose. One of the crows gathered in a circle around the disabled kingfisher darted forward, stabbed at its head with the bill, then retreated as the injured bird spun to meet the threat. Mouth agape, the kingfisher reared back and lunged, only to be mobbed by more crows rushing in from the side.

Schooler has a talent for describing what he is witnessing in nature. Along with this, he often includes the why of what he is describing. It adds to the story because, without that, we would not understand why Schooler and Hosino became such good friends, and later became obsessed with finding the blue bear.

We do not hear any mention of the blue bear until more than half way through the book. In the meantime, the story is laced with botany, geology, and natural history. Schooler is obviously well educated in the natural world of Alaska. It is apparent in his writing that this knowledge did not just come from research while writing the book, but a working knowledge of living an outdoor lifestyle.

Hoshino becomes enchanted with the bear first, then draws Schooler into his obsession. They spend several seasons, between photography and boat trips, searching the glaciers and old growth for the bear, without luck.

I knew from reading other reviews of this book what was coming, but it still came as a shock to me as I neared the end of the book… I don’t want to say more and spoil the story for anyone.

At the end, I cannot imagine how the author felt upon finally seeing the blue bear. He describes it well. Everything for him, it seems, is cyclic and that is a running theme throughout the book; both in his nature observations and in his own life.

[Todd Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

IMPORTANT: If you choose to read this book, do NOT look at the color photos in the middle of the book until after you read it!!! The first and second photo pages are fine, but the third one container a major spoiler! I don't know who's decision that was, but it almost ruined the reading experience for me.


This book started out slowly and leisurely, and I almost abandoned it in the first 100 pages. But then, I thought of the handful of people I've met that are great sailors or hunters, and I thought of how I always felt like they weren't bound by the same laws of time as myself. Their wealth of knowledge required investing the time required for them to disclose it at their pace and with the level of detail they chose.
With that mindset adjustment, I pressed on and was drawn deeper and deeper into Lynn's story.

The fact that this is his first book is almost unbelievable to me. About 75% through the book, a sense of dread began forming and I began subconsciously feeling the remaining pages to see how much was left. I rarely feel that way with a book, but I flipped to the end just to see how many blank or appendix pages were included so I wasn't caught off guard prematurely.

This book will cause cravings, or at least it did for me. It made me crave the outdoors, adventures, solitude, a deep and genuine friendship. It also caused me to consider the passage of time and how loss impacts us.

This is a fantastic book, and I highly recommend reading it as well as giving it my absolute highest rating.

[Sandy from Alaska Colón · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It made me very homesick. I lived in Alaska for 50 years; the majority of it in Juneau Alaska. I saw a glacier bear once and my husband took pictures of it. He too got too close to the bear in his excitement.

Interesting that he spoke about a kingfisher early in the book as he brought me an injured kingfisher to care for when I did bird rehab for the Juneau Raptor Center.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Alaska and the meaning of friendship. It is a well written book, once started I was reluctant to put down which is highest praise I can give to a book.

This book was a gift that I’ve had on my wish list for many years when we went to the Perseverance Theater to see the play about this book. I got it for Christmas this year.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!!!! Schooler was a great guide as his writing introduced me to the Alaskan wilderness, his lifestyle and his friendship with Michio Hoshino. I had never heard of Michio before and since I have read Scholler book, I can NOT forget him. This fact proves Schooler's book achieved a great goal.. But even beyond bringing me close to Michio, Schooler brought me close to his heart --This author reads honest and smart... I really loved the work!.

[Molly Colglazier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written memoir about friendship and the Alaskan wilderness. I closed the book feeling like I had a biology lesson and a lesson on human nature. A great read for anyone interested in the outdoors.

[Rachel Ruston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book to fall in love with.

[Annika Hipple · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book in Juneau at the urging of a local bookseller, and although it interested me, it sat on my bookshelf for a decade or so before I finally got around to actually reading it. Once I did, I found it immediately engrossing. Lynn Schooler is an excellent writer with a knack for bringing the places and events he describes to life. I learned a lot about Alaska and its nature and aspects of its history. Also enjoyable were Schooler's more personal reflections on his life and his deepening friendship with Michio Hoshino, the Japanese wildlife photographer who manages to penetrate the protective shell Schooler has erected around his heart after difficult experiences in the past.

Schooler's friendship with Hoshino is at the heart of The Blue Bear. The fact that this friendship ends tragically is made clear right from the start, and the resulting melancholy adds to, rather than detracts from, the tale Schooler tells. Parts of his story brought tears to my eyes; at other times, I wished I could have been there to share in the exhilarating moments he describes.

One passage that particularly resonated with me reads: "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." These words sum up the central themes of this book: the joys of true friendship, the love of wild places, and the power of nature to inspire and give comfort.

[M.F. Soriano · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed some of the nature-oriented passages, mostly because they engage my interests, but in the end this book felt contrived. It tries to wrap itself around a central topic--the author's friendship with a nature photographer--but the topic is too lightweight to support a whole book. The relationship in question is based on just a few shared trips, with more details of the natural events witnessed than of interpersonal bonding between the two main characters, and the author comes across more believably as a solitary man than as a man very profoundly connected to his friend. Solitary men can write good memoirs, but in this case the 'friendship' topic--typical memoir fare--feels unsuitable, and the author's effort feels fake. The memoir market is becoming a victim of its own success, with its increasing reliance on glib cliches and worn-out approaches, and this book is a memoir-formula casualty.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was talked into buying this book (not reluctantly!) by a bookseller in Juneau, Alaska. Eager to read it, I started it immediately upon return from vacation, shoving aside my tall stack of To Be Reads waiting on my bookshelf (with a little spillover onto the floor, if I'm honest). It is not a book to rush through, and it doesn't pull one through with any sort of ripping plot, but it IS a compelling book, growing more so as the chapters tick by.

Much of the book tells of the experience of being on the waters along the coast of Alaska. My passion for that terrain kept me reading, and then my concern for the author and the photographer pulled me deep into the words. I closed the last page very thankful for the book, and I anticipate reading it again, but I do not know how many of my friends would really enjoy it. I shall ponder that a while, with pleasure.

[Kathy Kysar · Rating 4 out of 5]

His thoughtful ruminations are reminiscent of Henry David Thoreau, and the interwoven facts about wildlife and the great land of Alaska just drive home his melancholic points. Traveling on the water with Schooler and the characters that are interwoven into his life make this book a terrific read. It took me a while to read it because it was so full of information and emotion that I often had to put it down while I digested what I just read, but the experience was as delightful as it was meaningful.

[Nick Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautiful. It is about how all of the various relationships in the natural world are vital- and perhaps none more than that of friendship for us humans. Read it and you will be transported to parts of Alaska that you never knew existed. The writing is rich and full of life. I can’t recommend it enough.

[Stevie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I gave it five stars because it was so appealing to me —- the friendship between the author and his Japanese friend, Michio, the quest to find the bear, the scenery the author described. I picked the book up in a grocery store on a used book shelf, had never heard of it, and what a good find.

[Bronwyn Hegarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astonishing. A deeply reflective memoir of a life in the wilderness, and a lasting friendship. The scenes on the boat in the storm were visceral and easily imagined by the wonderful writing. I loved this book.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just beautiful on so many levels. Honest, unpretentious, I laughed out loud and cried several times while reading.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A touching story of friendship between wildlife photographer, Michio Hoshino and author and guide, Lynn Schooler. Set in Alaska, the two of them experienced its rugged beauty and power.

[C_Kayaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. Is a sad read, but touching.

[Corinna Jüptner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein leises, aber eindrucksvolles Buch, das mehr ist als nur die Suche nach einem seltenen Bären. Lynn Schooler nimmt uns mit in die raue Wildnis Alaskas und verwebt Natur, persönliche Geschichte und ein Stück Zeitgeschichte zu einem ruhigen, nachdenklichen Abenteuer.

Besonders spannend fand ich die Einblicke in die Geschichte Alaskas – politisch, kulturell und ökologisch. Manchmal etwas ausschweifend, aber gerade das gibt dem Buch seinen ganz eigenen, ehrlichen Ton.

Für alle, die Natur lieben, Tiefgang schätzen und sich auf ein entschleunigtes Leseerlebnis einlassen wollen.

[TerriS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up years ago on a trip to Alaska. It’s been sitting on my bookshelf since then peeking at me whenever I went to pick out something new to read. I don’t know why I waited so long to read this. It is a beautiful, moving story of the friendship between a guide and one of his photographers. I know I will read it again some day. There is so much in this book, you just can’t take it all in in one read.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really feel like I should love this book. There's so much that's right with it. The Blue Bear is ultimately a story of admiration and love for a good man. It's written by Lynn Schooler, a guide who makes his living taking photographers around the waters and glaciers of the fractured straits, islands, and bays near Juneau Alaska. One of his repeat customers is a Japanese nature photographer named Michio Hoshino. In the course of their working relationship Hoshino and Schooler become good friends, joined by their love of the outside world as well as their mutual sincerity and seeming lack of pretense. The title comes from the rare sub species of black bear, called the Glacier or Blue Bear, that they search for on trip after trip. Ultimately Hoshino, now with a family, is killed by a bear in Siberia before the successful resolution of their quest.

I really feel like applauding Schooler for this work. He writes beautifully, describing the world of southeastern Alaska with obvious love and reverence. The world doesn't have enough homages to people who are loved just for being good, nor enough written about the love in a friendship rather than the love of romance. I really enjoyed hearing about Hoshino who obviously, both from Schooler's description and the words of others, was a wonderful example of someone who was a positive in so many peoples' lives. Schooler clearly was writing to honor his friend and not himself.

It took me a while to understand why I liked and admired this book rather than loving it. I wanted to love it. Ultimately I realized that Schooler didn't go quite far enough (in my opinion). He would start to write about his admiration for Hoshino and reflect on his own relationship with the world, but these thoughts didn't seem to go anywhere. It seemed like the book was supposed to be a journey of discovery about the natural world, Hoshino, and Schooler's own outlook and attitude, but only his admiration for Hoshino came through loud and clear. I even admire this in some ways, as not everything can be wrapped up in a nice, neat little package, and that shouldn't be forced. However, it felt like there were strands to Schooler's narrative that seemed to go somewhere and then just stopped. I think this is what kept The Blue Bear from being an absolute favorite of mine, even though I love Schooler's effort and desire to honor a wonderful man.

[Andi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting to be so taken with this book, but I was. The story of the author's search for his own identity and worth, along with his search for the glacier bear, is both beautiful and tragic. If you love Alaska in particular, or just nature in general, then you will appreciate his ability to transport you to whatever setting he is in, noticing the abundant life and beauty all around you. As you share this with him, you then can't help but be viscerally affected by the tragic events that befall him. He displays true grit through it all and I will remember this journey with him forever.

[dead letter office · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good story of a place and a person and a vision that are all powerfully solitary and unique. Something about the relationship between the author and the photographer who was the subject struck me as creepy, though. Reading nonfiction where you have that unreliable narrator feel is actually viscerally unsettling when it ends in the death of one of the subjects (Two Coots in a Canoe: An Unusual Story of Friendship).

[Reija Haapanen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meinasin heittää pois, kun luulin romanttiseksi hömpäksi kantta vilkaisemalla, mutta tämä olikin seikkailu/tutkimus-, muistelma- ja tietokirjallisuuden välimaastossa liikkuva teos. Erittäin mielenkiintoinen lukukokemus, muutamia hyvin jännittäviä jaksoja ja kauttaaltaan poikkeuksellisen toimivaa sanallista meri- ja rannikkoluonnon kuvausta. Vitosta en antanut lievän amerikkalaisen ylisanavivahteen vuoksi (luontokuvaajaystävä, joka on kirjan kantava teema, on vailla ensimmäistäkään inhimillistä vikaa).

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd heard great things about this book -- and even so it surprised me. Schooler is earnest and genuine. His mixing of history/natural history with the story of coming to know photographer Michio Hoshino is a bit awkward. The transitions between, for example, "my" story and "here's some background about Tlingit culture" are clunky -- but still, there's something here about the influence of friendship that is moving. Something about the ways of seeing that is valuable.

[William Monger · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my top 10 reads EVER. The Blue Bear came out of nowhere for me. I'd never heard of the book or the author before casually browsing Amazon for a wilderness memoir. Lynn Schooler has a natural "gift" for putting words on a page.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how he gracefully interwove the natural and cultural history of Alaska with the story of his friendship throughout the book.

[Robyn Obermeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the photos of the blue bear and whales!

[William Boden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I abandoned this book halfway through. Worth a try, though it's not for me.