Alaska Bear Tales

by Larry Kaniut

""Alaska Bear Tales"" is a best-selling collection of edge-of-your-seat accounts of true-life encounters with bears in Alaska.

Genres: Nonfiction, Adventure

324 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2003

Reviews

[Tiah Keever · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this when I was in middle school, I think, and liked to freak myself out with the idea of running into a bear on a camping trip and wondering if I'd be killed.Not all of the stories result in people being maimed or killed, but I have a vivid imagination. My mom kept it on the bookshelf right next to her James A.Michener books, this memory has jumped out at me for no real reason. There was a row of tapes nearby as well: Journey,The Cure,Bonnie Tyler,Carly Simon, James Taylor...I think its safe to say that the bear stories book was the most fascinating of all these things.

[Cienna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating but weirdly outdated book. There are a lot of myths in this book that are stated as fact (because they were fact in the 70s and 80s). I feel like this book was also WAY too long. Over 300 pages that really did not need to be there. It felt like the author fluffed a lot of information and stories just to make the book longer. The chapter on what guns to use against a bear attack could have been shortened into a two page bullet point list. The chapter on how female menstruation causes bear attacks could have been eliminated entirely (I have many strong feelings about this). The stories of the attacks themselves were fascinating and I even looked up some of the victims to see what they were doing now. Cynthia Dusel-Bacon is a badass go look her up. Anyway, I don't suggest this book to most people because the interesting parts are the first half but an uninformed reader wouldn't be able to see that a lot of this is no longer used in scientific study of bears or suggested as a defense against bears.

[Edward Amato · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a young adolescent I remember reading stories like this in Reader's Digest. Terrifying accounts of bear maulings that had me riveted. I would strongly discourage anyone from reading this WHILE camping, hiking, fishing or hunting in the wilderness of America and Canada. It would surely ruin the hike much like "Jaws" ruined the beach for many. I do recommend the book because it had a lot of information of what to do and what not to do. The best time to read this would be during a beach vacation in Hawaii or Australia: entertaining and will distract one from what swims beneath.

This book brought up the continued saga of mans expansion into wilderness areas. Imagine, leasing and are for ranching on Kodiak Island and then having bear troubles. Who'd of thought? At the end of the book the author says that an effort must be made to preserve the grizzly/brown bear from over hunting but no need to worry about the polar bear. hmmm, guess global warming wasn't an issue in the mid 80s.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction about the book titles is Alaska BEAR Tales ,and it is about bear attacks in Alaska. NF, August,1938,

Yes, I really like this book i really enjoy it as a independent reading.

.The Setting is in Alaska and the time is late 1940-to-1960.
It is about bear attacks in Alaska and everyone has their own story. Some survive, and some don’t. There's blood and killing, very gruesome and very traumatized. Watch out you might be in one of these stories.

I like the storytelling because how he just explains it is very scary and gruesome. People would like this book because it is very interesting to read and if you like very detailed things this is a book for you and instead of one story for the whole book it has a bunch of different stories and they are all unique, some survive and some die. It is very heart pounding.

[Mick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having being written in 1983, some of the stories are a little dated (bear spray wasn't used until the 90s, so there is lots of gun talk).
The stories can get a little repetitive, but there are some enjoyable ones, plus enough information to be gleaned to make it a worthwhile read.

[Faith High School · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read by: Will Lutz
I really liked the book. It had a lot of good information about bears. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about bears.

[David Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Larry does great research and tells an amazing story.

[Roger Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

A textbook on how to take a terrifying subject and make it as boring as possible.

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots and lots and lots of stories of people being mauled by bears...

[Ernie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grizzly.

[tyRonE hArDing · Rating 3 out of 5]

Respect the bears. They're just doing their thing.

[Shawnee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Some stories were difficult to read, and I didn't care for the parts about hunting and killing bears, but the rest was good.

[Robyn Obermeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a bears and a good book like this in the winter!

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed many of the stories in the book, but especially toward the end,
it became repetitious. Could have been shortened.

[amelia ♥️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although grotesque, I read this with my Mom and we had fun reading it. I don’t quite like reading about gruesome stories and graphic deaths, so i skipped some of it. However, still had fun reading!

This book is a compilation of short stories about bear attacks and the victims. I used to live in Alaska so it’s easier for me to understand some of the terminology in this book.

4/5⭐️
I would say it’s at the reading level of 6th graders, but it’s graphic so I wouldn’t read it if I was younger than 8th grade.

[Fred Bradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb collection of bear encounters in Alaska, revealing the true unpredictability of Ursidae. Perhaps if more people read this book, instead of the kumbaya feel-good books about bears by some authors, there might be fewer deaths and maulings on naïve visitors to the wilderness. I mean, you may still get charged/mauled/killed by a bear in the wilderness, but at least it won't come as a total surprise and, perhaps, you'll be better educated as to preparedness and tactics.

Personally, I would never camp in a tent in heavy bear country. I know, people do it all the time. Until they don't. And I'm aware of the statistics; I'm almost as likely to be killed by lightning as by a bear. They say the same thing about sharks too. But anyone who's seen or viewed bear or shark damage on a human body knows that it's more than just physical pain and scars. Many times it's years of rehabilitation, a lifetime of loss or limited use of body parts, eternal psychological effects.

Read the accounts and understand bear behavior (as much as it IS understandable). Be aware the bears may bite you right through your tent and sleeping bag, clamping down and dragging you away with little or no chance to defend yourself. The same bear you've seen dozens of times without incident, may suddenly decide to charge for no apparent reason. And realize that in many, many instances, a bear may charge at high speed, or with great quickness, unnoticed until he (or she) is virtually upon you.

You need not be afraid of the wilderness, but you should definitely be aware and respectful of nature. You may not get a second chance to learn this lesson.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel IS the physical symbol of my quandary between being simultaneously fascinated and terrified by bears. I love the outdoors; I am studying biology in school, and I love to be educated about nature. I am especially fascinated by animals, and what they are capable of. This collection of stories showed me EXACTLY what bears are capable of, and this has led to the quandary stated above. I can state with absolute certainty that none of my friends would be better equipped to handle a bear attack than I am, because now I am always aware of my surroundings and seek to avoid dangerous situations. This book has educated me, so that I am less likely to do something stupid and get myself killed. Honestly, that is how most bear maulings happen, unless you just get extremely unlucky. I would not recommend this book for children; it is extremely graphic. Many adults probably couldn't even handle it. But if you can get through it and take the messages to heart, you will gain insight and knowledge that just might save your life if you ever do end up in the unfortunate path of an angry bear.

[Melissa Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larry Kaniut keeps you on the edge of your seat. I read his Alaska Bear Tales for the first time when I was new to Alaska. In a tiny Aleut village on the Bering Sea, I snuggled up on the couch, devouring his thrilling stories about bear attacks. Initially terrified of bears, Larry’s stories helped me understand bear behavior, why they attack, and how to avoid dangerous encounters. I LOVED all of Larry’s books. When I moved from Alaska twenty years later, I donated most of my books to the library but held onto the ones authored by Larry Kaniut.

[Mike Atkinson]

I found the book very interesting and enjoyed the stories a lot. This book is out of date because there is no mention of the use of bear spray which hadn't been invented when these stories were written. I lived in Alaska for six years and am familiar with many of the places these stories took place in, so it was a nostalgic journey for me.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book while stationed in Alaska. A friend asked if I planned on hunting bears. I said yes and he replied, "Don't read that book until you are finished". He was right! This book will scare anyone going into bear country.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love bear stories and these are some of the best. while some may be frightened be these stories, they are reminders to me of how one should act in the woods. most of these attacks could have been prevented.

[Fred Donaldson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finishing this book took effort. It reads almost like a compilation of bear attack reports with some commentary. It was good if you want some real and anecdotal or even hearsay accounts of bear stories in Alaska.

[Dimps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for the faint of heart.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing like reading about bear attacks in Alaska just before heading out to hike Alaska trails.

[Adrienne Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book of truly hair-raising bear attacks! Will make you think twice about visiting bear country...

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn't put this down. Shouldn't have read it before heading into the Canadian wilderness though.

[James Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful stuff! Another of those books to avoid before pitching a tent on the open tundra, or at least bring some cotton for your ears so every sound does not sound like a bear outside your tent.

[Jason Slemons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best if read as an Alaskan youth.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up on this book, and nothing beats it for scaring relatives when they used to come visit in Alaska.

[Rebecca Schembri]

I enjoyed this but found some parts a little repetitive. I now know that I do not want to meet a bear close up and if I do I now have some ways to protect me from being mauled.... Admittedly I don't live in Alaska anymore but I do know there will be visits to the family and bears do live near their property