Bears: The Mighty Grizzlies of the West

by Julie Argyle

An up-close look at the powerful, notable grizzly bears—legendary apex predators of the American West.

The mighty North American brown bear, most often referred to as the grizzly, is an iconic symbol of power and strength. Mostly found in the Western United States and Canada, the still-endangered bruin has made strides into a tenuous sustainability. The strikingly beautiful photography, and the essay woven through the pages of The Mighty Grizzlies of the West, showcases this beautiful, smart, and incredible species. Julie Argyle explores their behavior, their family dynamics, and what it means to be a grizzly in the wilderness of the greater Yellowstone area. She includes stories about individual Raspberry and Snow, The Beryl Sow, The Obsidian Sow, Snaggletooth, and 791 (a famous boar), and looks at the issues of increasing conflicts between humans and the grizzlies and what the future holds for them.

Genres: Photography

200 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2021

Reviews

[Sheila (sheilasbookreviewer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bears: The Mighty Grizzlies of the West by Julie Argyle is a book that takes you to the beautiful Rocky Mountains. The photos bring to life the Mighty Grizzlies in their habitat as they strive to survive in a world that is not always kind to them. With their habitat shrinking, more encounters between humans and bears are occurring with the bears sadly paying for these run-ins with their lives.

I really loved the way that Julie wrote such a marvelous discourse as she introduced us to several Grizzlies that she has photographed and learned to love through the years. She writes about Raspberry and Snow, The Beryl Sow, The Obsidian Sow, Snaggletooth, and 791 (a famous boar). I have grown to love many of these same Grizzlies especially Raspberry, Snow(her daughter), and Snow's new cubs. Also, I love the famous Grizzly 399 in Grand Teton National Park.

Julie has a way of capturing the heart and soul of the animals she photographs. Once you see her work, you'll also fall in love with these animals and hopefully will want to get involved in protecting and conserving The Grizzlies and their homes. This book is not a long read, but it is packed full of powerful photos that will be ingrained in your mind and heart. I have always loved bears and I'm known as the "Bear" teacher. As a lover of these tremendous animals, Bears: The Mighty Grizzlies of the West is at the top of my list for you to buy. I promise you'll never look at Grizzlies in the same way again and you'll gain a greater appreciation for this impressive species.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and Magnificent--the Foreword to the book by Brad Orsted too: "We have more at stake than just the survival of an animal species. I believe that whatever happens to the grizzly bear will eventually befall humans. The two are that connected. For when we lose the ability to appreciate the intricacies of coexistence and compassion for another five-toed sentient being trying to find its way in this world too, we lose that luminous fiber that connects us all, and become slightly less human."

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked this up from reserve at the library, I was a little worried about having time to finish it because it's a relatively thick coffee table book. However, I enjoyed the concise text and the thoughtful photographs mixed with quite a few quotes that really make you stop and think. And I easily paged through it in one afternoon. Two thumbs up from me!