What do you think?
Rate this book
Bear: A Novel of the Great Bear Rainforest and Eco-Violence
Bjorn is a child of First Nations origin, adopted into a white family, who sets out to explore his roots and grows radicalized through exposure to the historical ordeals of First Nations peoples. From an early age he feels emotionally drawn to bears and the cryptic messages he believes they offer him. Gradually they come to represent to him the wisdom of Nature and environmental preservation. Bjorn grows determined to confront the recklessness of corporate plans to send supertankers through the treacherous channels of the Great Bear Rainforest. Circumstances bring him in close proximity to the chief operating officer of the pipeline and tanker corporation. Bjorn is confronted with a moral dilemma about how to use his relationship with the COO in a situation of growing psychological tension that ends in deadly confrontation. The novel reflects First Nations experience and lore, the mythical relevance of ancient bear worship in Russia and a cosmic vision of the place of bears in the world. A riveting tale of the environment, bears, a search for identity, and eco-violence.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 8, 2018
9 people want to read
About the author
Graham E. Fuller
45 books97 followersGraham Fuller is an author and a political analyst. He has worked for the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the National Intelligence Council, and Rand Corporation.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 28, 2024
I picked it up from a bookstore in Vancouver, and not finding any reviews for it, I kind of had to base the decision to read it on the short description on the back cover and my instinct. It is not nearly what I expected the story would be but I am glad I decided to go for it. It is well researched and informative, yet a story of a person - a fiction novel based in, and reflecting the realities of the region and native peoples around the world. My interest trailed in the middle but it picks up - the last 100 pages were probably the most thrilling, and almost all the loose ends are tied up.
I was wary of a white man's perspective on Indigenous communities and their realities, but as Graham Fuller says in the Author's note, yes there are pitfalls of a non native writing about First Nations, or any other cultural minority, and there is risk of cultural appropriation, no matter how hard one tried to accurately portray the reality, but, the world will be a poorer place if all of us humans are not able to concern ourselves with problems that all minorities encounter. He says "the huge social failures and shortcomings on the part of the dominant culture will not be alleviated any faster if only Native writers can bring them to public attention". A valid point?
I was wary of a white man's perspective on Indigenous communities and their realities, but as Graham Fuller says in the Author's note, yes there are pitfalls of a non native writing about First Nations, or any other cultural minority, and there is risk of cultural appropriation, no matter how hard one tried to accurately portray the reality, but, the world will be a poorer place if all of us humans are not able to concern ourselves with problems that all minorities encounter. He says "the huge social failures and shortcomings on the part of the dominant culture will not be alleviated any faster if only Native writers can bring them to public attention". A valid point?
January 9, 2019
Just a few days after finishing Graham Fuller's new novel, "Bear", I came across this headline from tonight's online edition of the Globe and Mail: "Protests erupt across the country in showdown over B.C. natural gas pipeline". The Globe article discusses how the 670-kilometre pipeline runs through the traditional territory of B.C.'s Wet'suwet'en Nation, a crucial link in the $40-billion LNG project.
That wasn't a coincidence.
"Bear" is a compelling novel set in British Columbia, inspired by current events that have dominated the news cycle of our province over the past few years. The author did an excellent job interweaving the protagonist's journey to discover his life purpose with a sophisticated narrative that provided nuanced perspectives of indigenous self-governance, environmental conservation, interracial adoption, and the spiritual significance of bears.
For me, the most convincing character was Mason, the Chief Operating Officer of Tundra Oil (the fictional version of TransCanada and/or Coastal GasLink), who was conflicted in his role leading a oil and gas giant, trying his best to balance economic profitability with environmental conservation. The interactions between Mason and the protagonist Bjorn were particularly insightful, surely inspired by the author's experiences living in British Columbia.
I highly recommend this book.
That wasn't a coincidence.
"Bear" is a compelling novel set in British Columbia, inspired by current events that have dominated the news cycle of our province over the past few years. The author did an excellent job interweaving the protagonist's journey to discover his life purpose with a sophisticated narrative that provided nuanced perspectives of indigenous self-governance, environmental conservation, interracial adoption, and the spiritual significance of bears.
For me, the most convincing character was Mason, the Chief Operating Officer of Tundra Oil (the fictional version of TransCanada and/or Coastal GasLink), who was conflicted in his role leading a oil and gas giant, trying his best to balance economic profitability with environmental conservation. The interactions between Mason and the protagonist Bjorn were particularly insightful, surely inspired by the author's experiences living in British Columbia.
I highly recommend this book.
January 28, 2024
I picked it up from a bookstore in Vancouver, and not finding any reviews for it, I kind of had to base the decision to read it on the short description on the back cover and my instinct. It is not nearly what I expected the story would be but I am glad I decided to go for it. It is well researched and informative, yet a story of a person - a fiction novel based in, and reflecting the realities of the region and native peoples around the world. My interest trailed in the middle but it picks up - the last 100 pages were probably the most thrilling, and almost all the loose ends are tied up.
I was wary of a white man's perspective on Indigenous communities and their realities, but as Graham Fuller says in the Author's note, yes there are pitfalls of a non native writing about First Nations, or any other cultural minority, and there is risk of cultural appropriation, no matter how hard one tried to accurately portray the reality, but, the world will be a poorer place if all of us humans are not able to concern ourselves with problems that all minorities encounter. He says "the huge social failures and shortcomings on the part of the dominant culture will not be alleviated any faster if only Native writers can bring them to public attention". A valid point?
I was wary of a white man's perspective on Indigenous communities and their realities, but as Graham Fuller says in the Author's note, yes there are pitfalls of a non native writing about First Nations, or any other cultural minority, and there is risk of cultural appropriation, no matter how hard one tried to accurately portray the reality, but, the world will be a poorer place if all of us humans are not able to concern ourselves with problems that all minorities encounter. He says "the huge social failures and shortcomings on the part of the dominant culture will not be alleviated any faster if only Native writers can bring them to public attention". A valid point?
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews