Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future

By Gloria Dickie

Recommended by: Jasmine

This is some super great science writing, in depth but still totally devourable.

Bears have always held a central place in our collective memory, from Indigenous folklore and Greek mythology to nineteenth-century fairytales and the modern toy shop. But as humans and bears come into ever-closer contact, our relationship nears a tipping point. Today, most of the eight remaining bear species are threatened with extinction. Some, such as the panda bear and the polar bear, are icons of the natural world; others, such as the spectacled bear and the sloth bear, are far less known.

In Eight Bears, journalist Gloria Dickie weaves together ecology, history, mythology, and a captivating account of her travels and observations to explore each bear’s story. Whisking readers from the cloud forests of the Andes to the ice floes of the Arctic; from the jungles of India to the backwoods of the Rocky Mountain West. She meets with key figures on the frontlines of modern conservation efforts to reveal the unparalleled challenges bears face as they contend with a rapidly changing climate and encroaching human populations.

Engrossing and deeply reported, Eight Bears delivers a clear warning for what we risk losing if we don’t learn to live alongside the animals that have shaped our cultures, geographies, and stories.

W. W. Norton, 2023