This is a unique memoir in that it's part Claire Cameron's struggle with a medical diagnosis and part investigation into a bear attack in Algonquin Park. The author clearly loves and respects bears (all nature and wildlife, but this is all about the black bear) and gave me an appreciation for them. I'm not outdoorsy, don't like sleeping on the ground and have never encountered a bear (nor do I want to), but the author's descriptions and fictionalized sections of what the bear could have been doing, thinking and acting like before the attack were fascinating. The author also doesn't forget the title of her book either : she really does give the reader tips on what to do if you are in the unfortunate situation of being attacked by a bear who won't back down.
Listened on audio as an ARC through Netgalley.

✨Review - How To Survive A Bear Attack by @

“Claire Cameron confronts the rare genetic mutation that gave her cancer by investigating an equally rare and terrifying event—a predatory bear attack.”

It’s #MemoirMonday. I picked up this audiobook from @NetGalley on a whim after reading that it was set in Algonquin Park, a gorgeous provincial park just a few hours down the road from where I live. I drive through it often on my way to a camp further into Muskoka, and I am always in awe of its beauty, so I had hoped this book would include a good amount of vivid descriptions and maybe even some tips on which hiking trails I should visit.

With that as my end goal, this book delivered. I loved feeling transported to the park, specifically to Opeongo Lake. I also appreciated the ways Cameron questioned the ethics of nature preserves, noting how ironic it is that the Algonquin people whom the park is named for were kicked off its land when it became provincially protected. (She mentions how important it is to ask for whom and from what an area is being protected.) I also appreciated her candid insight into her wrestling with her cancer diagnosis, and how she found peace in new normals and rhythms for her life.

What I didn’t enjoy as much was the speculative narration on the life of the bear whom she was paralleling with her own journey. I found it distracting from Cameron’s memoir - a bit of fiction amidst her own personal truth that didn’t seem to fit for me, despite Cameron’s obvious writing talent.

This audiobook was narrated by Cameron herself, and I always find this is the best way to experience a memoir.

Thanks to @Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this complimentary copy. All thoughts are my own.

How to Survive a Bear Attack is a pretty gripping mix of memoir, nature writing, and true crime that explores fear in both its literal and metaphorical forms. Claire Cameron writes with a real honesty as she revisits a terrifying real-life bear attack, which is an incident that haunted her since childhood, and weaves it together with her own experience of illness, grief, and healing.

The result is a unique narrative that moves between wilderness survival and emotional survival. As someone who’s genuinely scared of bears, like me, this book tapped into a very real fear for me and at times gave me the chills. Cameron’s writing is very good, and the way she reflects on mortality, motherhood, and wildness is powerful.

That said, there were moments where the pacing lagged a bit or the threads felt loosely connected. But overall, I found this to be an exciting, thought-provoking read that lingered with me.

I devoured this memoir.

I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed this reflective and engaging about the dangers of life and finding yourself. I loved the direct contrast of the storyline following the life of the author, the parallel storyline of the author discovering information about a Infamous bear attack in Algonquin park, and then another traveling along to understand all about bears and bear attacks and the general risks of life in nature. I can't explain to you how much I have thought about this book since I have read it. I have already recommended it to several people.

This was an extremely detailed and well researched memoir filled with so much emotion, grief, and LIFE. It was educational and blended the lived experiences of the author and others while sprinkling in touches of imaginative through giving the bear a voice and intentions. This was a very complex memoir - some parts seemed more story than recounting. But honestly that’s what intrigued me more as I kept reading. A great narration from a great Canadian author.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada Audio, Knopf Canada and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.

This was an interesting concept - a memoir linking the author's fight with a genetic mutation causing her rare form of cancer with a rare case of two campers killed by a bear.

It was a bit strange and I felt like it was really two different stories but contained a lot of interesting facts. Overall I enjoyed this. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author.

I wasn't convinced that this conceit was going to work, but (until the completely jarring reading aloud of the footnotes) this was one of the best memoirs I've read in ages. The interweaving of personal tragedies, both Cameron's and those of others, colonialism, ecological theories, and well-sourced fiction, was enthralling. I'm going to go look for other books by Cameron and I wish her the best of luck (and science) in staying with us to write more.

Audiobook provided by NetGalley.

I don’t normally read memoirs but I found the title, How to Survive a Bear Attack by Claire Cameron, intriguing. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect except, of course, a recount of an encounter with a bear certainly and, yes, it recounts the story of a couple who encountered a bear in 1991 but did not survive. Cameron visits the spot where it happened and theorizes, using considerable research into the habits of black bears and accounts of other bear attacks which, fortunately, is a rare occurrence in Canada, to try to understand what may have happened leading up to and during the attack.

But it is so much more than that. It recounts the author’s own experience of cancer and how it, too, is an attack on the body. She gives a very honest account of the fear and pain she experienced as she went through the varying treatments involved.

And it is also a love letter to the wilderness beauty of Algonquin Park and the peace and pleasure it has provided her and her family over the years. A fascinating memoir and one that will definitely stay with me for a very long time. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author which added even more to my appreciation of the book.

I received an advance audiobook from Netgalley and Penguin Random House Audiobooks in return for an honest review

This was a super interesting investigative look into bears in the wild. If you read this along with 8 Bears your bear IQ will be happy.

Claire Cameron is a published Canadian author of a couple of best-selling novels. She also has cancer - a rare type of melanoma that she has inherited genetically from her father, who died in his mid-40s when she was 9 years old. She sees what fate has in store for her. She is also a wife and a mother with a loving husband and young sons. And she loves Algonquin Park.

This is a memoir, but it is written so creatively that at times it seems like a thriller or crime novel, and at other times, it is a well-researched work about grizzly and black bears. It is a how-to manual on enjoying nature, coexisting with the park's wild inhabitants, and ultimately, what to do to survive a bear attack.

The main focus of the story is the 1991 incident when a couple was killed in a predatory black bear attack in Algonquin Park. These types of attacks are so rare, and the author deftly weaves parallels to her own very rare cancer. Having had so many great experiences in Algonquin at work as a camp counsellor and as a tree planter, and at play as an avid camper, she starts her investigation and research about the facts of the 1991 attack. She returns to the scene of the attack and interviews those who were involved in the investigation so many years ago - like a return to the crime scene.

But what is truly unique is how she writes creatively about the couple themselves, retracing what their steps may have been, bringing some of their personality to the story. Finally, the life and the point of view of the bear, all culminate in the fateful event that resulted in all of their deaths. But in that she also takes her own story and life going forward in stride with renewed focus on living for the moment.

This was a great read, an audio book read by the author and she did a good job of narration. My rating went up after the story sat with me for a bit before I wrote this review. Highly recommend this unique book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada Audiobooks for an advanced audio copy for review.

In How to Survive a Bear Attack, Canadian author Claire Cameron revisits the 1991 bear attack in Algonquin Park that claimed the lives of two campers, Raymond Jakubauskas and Carola Frehe. Blending memoir, speculative narrative, and reflection, she retells the event not only from the perspective of the victims, but from that of the bear itself. Alongside this exploration, Cameron shares her experience confronting a personal health crisis—being diagnosed with the same skin cancer that ended her father's life.

The audiobook is narrated by the author herself, which I always appreciate in memoirs. Cameron's voice is soothing and calm, making the listening experience feel intimate and grounded. Her choice to write from the bear’s perspective was one of the book’s strongest elements. It offers a refreshing challenge to the usual portrayal of bears as ruthless killers—especially relevant now, given Alberta’s ongoing approval of apex predator hunting. Cameron's portrayal helps humanize (or perhaps better said, naturalize) the bear’s actions as survival-driven, rather than villainous.

While I sympathized deeply with Cameron's cancer diagnosis and appreciated her vulnerability, the thematic connection between her illness and the 1991 bear attack she investigates didn’t always feel fully developed. The link, beyond her lifelong love of the outdoors, seemed a bit tenuous at times.

That said, I always value Canadian literature, and I found it meaningful to hear the story of a Canadian woman whose relationship with wilderness, canoeing, and survival has shaped so much of her life. I’d recommend this book to anyone who spends time in the backcountry of Canada’s national and provincial parks or on Crown land—especially those with an interest in how we perceive and coexist with wildlife.

Final rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Canada (an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada) for providing me with an early copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

It's incredible how resilient humans are when life-altering events occur. Cameron demonstrates her strength by recounting the 1991 bear attack at Algonquin Park, which she used as a distraction while coping with the passing of her late father. Cameron, who has been diagnosed with melanoma, returns to what is recognized as an exceptionally unusual event: the Algonquin Bear Attack as her coping mechanism.

How to Survive a Bear Attack was an amazing story, based on both opinion and factual research. Cameron presents the story as if you were accompanying her on her journey to find out what really made the bear attack the couple in 1991. Cameron, an enthusiastic camper and admirer of Algonquin, says, "People who go to places like Algonquin don't really envision the dangers that may arise when camping, they just go and enjoy the time." Indeed, when we camp, we are already prepared for potential risks, but a violent bear encounter might change that. How to Survive a Bear Attack keeps you engaged while Cameron navigates the journey even in the perspective of the bear. 


This ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc. This was interesting but ultimately not for me. I expected more of a memoir and less speculation about what the bear was thinking. At times the two stories blended together well and others it felt very disjointed. I listened to the audiobook which was read by the author and that too was hit and miss. Though it wasn’t for me, I think there’s an audience that will really love this.

Touted as a memoir, it’s not really that, but more of a book where you’re going to learn a lot about bears.

In 1991 in Ontario’s Algonquin Park, a couple was killed by a rare bear attack. The author often frequented the area and became fascinated with researching the attack, and actually already wrote a book of fiction inspired by the events of that infamous attack. The majority of this book was the imagined POV of the bear, and dove into the scientific behaviours and characteristics of the black bear. I did find these parts quite interesting.

As for the memoir aspect—the author discusses her melanoma diagnosis and subsequent treatment. As her doctor informs her that no amount of UV exposure is safe for her, she must come to terms with the fact that spending time in the wilderness can no longer be her happy place.

While I didn’t NOT enjoy listening to this audiobook, I found the whole point of it to be quite strange. The author is clearly obsessed with bears, but I felt like the memoir aspect didn’t necessarily need to be included. Or make it a different book. The meshing of genres here just felt odd.

Yes this book deals with some heavy topics, but it is so well done! The author takes a bear attack and turns it into page turning crime procedural mystery; she takes a life altering medical diagnosis and turns it into a meditative self-reflection on finding clarity in your life; and she doubles down on her love of nature and science.

This is an honest and eloquent memoir about the author’s experience with cancer skillfully intertwined with the mystery of a tragic true story that left two campers dead after an encounter with a bear. A thoroughly researched book that has equal appeal for readers who enjoy books about nature, mystery / thrillers, and facing adversities.

The author writes about her experience with such a reflective and open-minded approach that it left me feeling peacefully optimistic.

Received as a free ARC from NetGalley, with thanks to author and publisher
A great memoir from Claire Cameron! She describes the locations with evident affection, so much so that I could envision the similar locales from my youth. The interconnection of events she studied (the bear attack) and those she experienced both as a child (losing a parent) and as an adult (a cancer diagnosis) weave well in the backdrop of loving both the environment and her life. It was a poignant read, a great example of the power of nature in ways that we perceive as positive and negative. I appreciated the emphasis on acceptance of the unknown/unknowable in both the motivation of the bear and of the cancer(s).

3.5* This memoir was about grief, survival, true crime, and the beauty (and danger) of nature. Claire Cameron’s journey is deeply personal, and the audiobook made it feel even more intimate. Her reflections on loss and illness are powerful, but I found that story jumped around a lot, which made it hard for me to stay fully engaged. That said, some parts were fascinating, and if you love introspective memoirs with a mix of science and nature, it’s worth a listen!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada Audiobooks | Knopf Canada for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review was posted (Instagram, Goodreads, bookishlytara blog, Storygraph) on March 17, 2025. An additional post (with a reposted review) will be posted on Instagram on the publication day as well as an Amazon Canada review (currently pending). (links below)

“Will I survive a bear attack? I’d been asking the wrong question. Being alive is one big risk and it will end in death, but the bridge between those two things is love.”

This was a surprising book. It was offered to me as an ARC through NetGalley and the title grabbed me! This is a memoir by Claire Cameron who dealt with a cancer diagnosis by becoming obsessed with a 1991 couple that were killed by a black bear.

It wasn’t at all what I was expecting, but I did really enjoy it. The author took on a good view for the bear, he was not the enemy in this book, rather a creature just living its life. There is a focus on being cautious in the outdoors, and she provided great history about humans interactions with bears and how truly rare their attacks can be. The book plays with the theme of fear, how her fear of her cancer diagnosis and the known plays into her life, and how the fear of a potential bear attack, and how she is able to overcome come both.

I think this is a great book for anyone who is outdoorsy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Claire Cameron for the ARC of this book!

Sometimes its worth it to get outside of one's comfort zone. In this case its my listening headspace through an audiobook I may not have given a chance to under normal circumstances. I have to confess that I am not normally drawn to books like Claire Cameron's How To Survive A Bear Attack: A Memoir. I was unfamiliar with the author or her previous works so a memoir was not overly appealing. And then when I learned it involved her cancer journey I debated on giving it a pass because I am a cancer survivor and an admitted coward who is easily triggered.

But I do love Algonquin Park, nature and bears. And I have been feeling nostalgia for my birth home Toronto so I thought I will give this one a chance and I'm sure glad I did!

Claire Cameron is a bestselling author who comes from my home town Toronto. In her memoir she talks about her early life in our shared city and dealing with the death of her Dad from a very aggressive form of skin cancer. Algonquin Park another place I know very well plays a large role in her working through her loss and grief. But as beautiful and healing as Nature is it can also at times be dangerous.

The author takes us through her examination of a rare predatory bear attack and the death of two campers at a remote campsite in the park back in 1991. This investigation dovetails with her finding out that she has an aggressive cancer and genetic mutation that may cut her life tragically short. The two intertwine into a poignant reminder of the fragility of life, our need as stewards of this planet to respect and care for the wildlife we share it with and the enduring power of love.

The audiobook is narrated by the author and it was well worth my listening to it. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada Audiobooks via Netgalley, for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7436304377

https://susandemeter.blogspot.com/2025/03/abearattack.html

This was a very unique, interesting read. Not your typical memoir. I love how Cameron used the metaphor about surviving a bear attack as a parallel for life and her battle with cancer. The audiobook was a quick, enjoyable listen.