Did I grow up in bear country? Yes. I’ve had countless experiences with bears as a kid and learned to be bear safe.
Have I ever experienced a bear as an adult? Nope. Nada. Never. My bear sprays continually expire and need to be replaced unused.
Am I confident with my skills if I came across one? The fear is palpable.

“Being alive is one big risk, and it will end in death. But the bridge between those two things is love. After this investigation, my recommendation is to spend your time falling in love with the people and the world around you. Don’t let a fear of death eclipse your life. Run toward love. Fight for it, and die for it.”

I binged this so fast. This book is told from 3 parallel timelines and keeps you so engaged. There’s the memoir of the author- her battle with cancer and her life experiences with bears. There’s the timeline of a couple who were both attacked and killed by a black bear. And there’s the timeline of what the black bears life experiences leading up the attack may have looked like.

I highly recommend this book and was enthralled from cover to cover.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Here I go again, taking on a book while barely skimming the synopsis. I went into this with almost no expectation other than the title and cover seemed interesting and I love discovering more Canadian authors.

This was so cleverly written. It's listed as a memoir but it's somewhat fiction as she goes through great lengths to research and explore a rare bear attack while offering the readers the victim's pov as well as the bear's. The author also takes us through her rare hereditary cancer diagnosis that no longer allows her to safely experience the things that have always brought her the most joy...being outside in nature.
I really enjoyed this story and hearing it narrated by the author was a huge plus for me. Though in hindsight, I may have preferred a physical copy so I could take note of all the extensive information that may actually save me from a possible bear attack! I may never look at hiking or camping the same way again. 😬

How To Survive a Bear Attack

I received an ARC of the Audio Book, and this is why I'm rating the work

My first thoughts when finishing the book is, this is not really a memoir. Yes, there are parts of the work that deal with the main character and their journey through a troubling time. But that takes up less than half the book. I believe it is only 1/3 of the book that deals directly with the main character. The rest deals with information on black bears and their habits, a point of view from the bear, and a fictionalized retelling of an encounter between two campers and a bear.

The interjection of the bear incident turns the work basically into a fiction, while the information on black bears makes the work a research based story. Ony the insertions of the writer's story makes it a memoir.

I always tell authors to never read the audio for the audio book. They are not trained for the vocals and tend to not add the right inflections. The pacing of the reading will also suffer.

While the book was entertaining, I knocked down the score due to the aforementioned points. Also took off a little due to the cover, for it seems lacking to me as a reader. If could have been so much better.

The good news is the editing of the work was well done, and from an audio book review, I did not find any issues. The work did read well, and it supplied entertainment and information I did not have concerning bears. For someone who spends a lot of time in the Near North of Ontario (usually another 4 hours drive north of Algonquin), I appreciate the research. As a reader, I'm a little disappointed with the memoir genre this went into, and suggest rethinking that step.

The book, though, is something that can be considered a must read for those who hike and camp in Algonquin Park, for it will help them in how to deal with their camp site, and dealing with an unintentional encounter with the wild.

I don’t typically pick out Memoir type books as I just never seem to enjoy them as much as I would like to but I have to say this is one I thoroughly enjoyed especially due to the writing and knowing it wasn’t just a memoir but some non-fiction and also fiction written in. I was hooked from the very first paragraph. I actually listened to this on NetGalley Shelf App. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for this audiobook.

"Life is one big risk, and it will end in death, but the bridge between those things is love."

Claire Cameron’s father was a Professor of Old English and had died at the age of 42 from Melanoma. Claire feared this beast but took to the lakes of Algonquin Park in Northern Ontario, Canada to help her through the grief of losing her dad.

In 1991, a couple from Toronto set out for an October weekend on Lake Opeongo in Algonquin Park never to be seen alive again. Sadly, they had both been attacked by a bear. Throughout this story it is written to include not only Claire’s POV but also the rescuers, and the bear who attacked and yes, this one makes it really interesting. Claire has obviously done an extreme amount of research on this attack and black bears of Northern Ontario. It certainly shows in the writing.

While researching and learning about these animals Claire notices a black spot on her shoulder. She goes to the Dr only to find out she has the same cancer as her father and Claire is only 45. After surgery, she is told she should no longer spend time outside in the UV rays like she was used to but how is this possible when Claire is an avid outdoors person?

If you get the chance to read this book, do so. It is well written and such a great and easy read.

"Life is one big risk, and it will end in death, but the bridge between those things is love."

I picked this up expecting a pulpy true crime approach to a historical natural mystery, and while in some ways I got what I expected, I got so much more. How to Survive A Bear Attack is a beautifully written love letter to the Canadian wilderness, a memoir of having your own body turn against you and the hardship and healing that brings, and a carefully researched investigation into a little-known sphere of the natural realm. In each of these realms, Claire Cameron has reached above and beyond, delivering an experience that is simultaneously searingly frank and comfortingly lyrical.

I found Cameron's story so down-to-earth and relatable, and the way she presents her personal anecdotes makes it feel like chatting with an old friend. As she details her fears regarding her genetic risk of cancer and the process of her diagnosis, I felt a sort of kinship with her - perhaps because I am also a woman who's own body has turned against her, but likely because Cameron doesn't hold any details back - she discusses her real fear, her deterioration, the pain and frustration that these kinds of experience can cause.

In regards to her investigation of the Bates Island attack, the amount of legwork that she must have done shows in the final result. We are given a detailed, fact-based presentation of the attack - Cameron has spoken to so many experts and given as much care to this story as she does to her own. I really enjoyed the passages that are narrated from the perspective of the bear - it was a bit like listening to a nature documentary but with a distinct human tilt to it all. I'm astonished that she managed to pull off that effect without romanticizing the bear!

Overall, this was a beautiful read, and listening to it narrated by the author herself was a real treat.