Book Review: “Eight Bears”

LW residents are invited to submit reviews of their favorite books for publication in the LW Weekly. Include your name and mutual and telephone numbers. The reviews are subject to editing and will run as space allows. Email submissions to emmad@lwsb.com.

Title: “Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future” Author: Gloria Dickie

by Maureen Habel

When I saw that the international magazine The Economist named “Eight Bears” one of best non-fiction books of 2023, I was intrigued. Bears have always had a special place in human history, from ancient folklore to cherishing my childhood teddy bear. I knew about some bear species such as the Chinese panda bear, American black and brown bears, and the Canadian polar bear. Learning about the South American spectacled bear and Vietnamese moon and sun bears was new territory. But the biggest surprise was learning about India’s misnamed sloth bear, responsible for more fatalities than any of the other seven bear species. It’s an insect eater by nature, but its poor eyesight and long claws adapted for digging have left it unable to climb trees or escape, explaining its aggressive need to attack.

Most of us are aware that the polar bear is threatened with extinction but might not know that the panda bear, although it’s hard to breed in captivity, is less endangered than other bear species because we humans consider it “cute.”

This book is amazingly well-written science journalism. Ms. Dickie takes the reader around the globe to describe in each chapter the history, habitat and future of each existing bear species. The book is a wakeup call about the need to protect the world’s bears from encroaching human populations and a rapidly changing climate. After reading “Eight Bears,” I’ll never quite think about bears in the same way. The book is available now in the LW Library.