Dominion of Bears: Living with Wildlife in Alaska

by Sherry Simpson

Long ago we invited bears into our stories, our dreams, our nightmares, our lives. We have always sought them out where they live, for their hides, their meat, their beauty, their knowingness. Human country and bear country exist side by side."
As Sherry Simpson suggests, the relationship between bears and humans is ancient and ongoing and, in Alaska, profoundly and often uncomfortably close. A huge number of North America's bears live in Alaska: including at least 31,000 brown bears, 100,000 black bears, and 3,500 polar bears. And nearly every aspect of Alaskan society reflects their presence, from hunting to tourism marketing to wildlife management to urban planning.
A long-time Alaskan, Simpson offers a series of compelling essays on Alaskan bears in both wild and urban spaces--because in Alaska, bears are found not only in their natural habitat but also in cities and towns. Combining field research, interviews, and a host of up-to-date scientific sources, her finely polished prose conveys a wealth of information and insight on ursine biology, behavior, feeding, mating, social structure, and much more.
Simpson crisscrosses the Alaskan landscape in pursuit of bears as she muses, marvels, and often stands in sheer awe before these charismatic creatures. Firmly grounded in the expertise of wildlife biologists, hunters, and viewing guides, she shows bears as they actually are, not as we imagine them to be. She considers not only the occasionally aggressive behavior bears need to survive, but also the violence exacted upon them by trophy hunters, advocates of predator control, or suburbanites who view bears as land sharks that threaten the safety of their families.
Shifting effortlessly between fascinating facts and poetic imagery, Simpson crafts an extended meditation on why we are so drawn to bears and why they continue to engage our imaginations, populate indigenous mythologies, and help define our essential visions of wilderness. As Simpson observes, "The slightest evidence that bears share your world--or that you share theirs--can alter not only your sense of the landscape, but your sense of yourself within that landscape.

Genres: Animals, Nature, Nonfiction

440 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2013

Reviews

[Sharman Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I jogged along the road this morning, I hop-skipped over what looked like bear scat. Pretty sure it was. But I didn’t stop to examine the pile more closely. I know that black bears wend and weave their way through my neighborhood in the Gila Valley, which is only a mile or so from the three-million-acre Gila National Forest, which is their neighborhood. I often enough see bear prints on the trails where I am running, or down by the Gila River, or in the untamed area behind my house, even though I have only seen an actual wild bear a few times in my life. I suspect they have seen me much more regularly.

But running on, I did think of Sherry Simpson’s Dominion of Bears, which is very comprehensive and fun. You can’t help but feel hot flashes of envy toward this author since writing this book gave her permission and excuse to go out and actively seek bear-viewing opportunities—game reserves and bear-watching stations mostly in Alaska where the interaction between bears and humans is carefully mediated. She saw plenty of bears! Black bears, grizzly bears, polar bears! Lucky woman! Lucky reader. Because she writes about them with wonderful detail in this award-winning book—recipient of the 2015 John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Nature Writing.

[Olgalijo · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I live in the same town that the author talks about in the beginning of the book, and where she lived for a long time. The bear related situation and attitudes that she describes are so accurate that it's scary. If you are curious about bears, but hate those books that only talk about bear attacks and similar, this is the book for you. The author talks about the bear situation in Alaska, from the psychological, political and ecological point of view. This is not an easy book to read though, if you are ecologically minded you will be distraught at some points and heartened at others.
At the end, you will feel that the time spent reading this book was definitely well spent.

[Mallory Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative, thoughtful, and well-researched. Would recommend for anyone interested in learning more about brown, black, and polar bears in Alaska.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful, but at times a tough read as it makes me see more and more how selfish humans are to wildlife. The Urban Bear chapter really highlighted that.

[Geoffrey Bateman · Rating 4 out of 5]

After hearing a talk that Sherry Simpson gave at Camp Denali this past summer (which I really enjoyed), I bought this book. It's such an engaging, thoughtful, and interesting read, and I say that as someone who's not necessarily all that interested in bears, or at least I wasn't until I read this book. (Although seeing so many during the week we were in Denali National Park also changed that a bit.) Each chapter--which are really stand alone essays--explores a different aspect or facet of bears, and Simpson is encyclopedic in her knowledge of them, but conveys it all in a very human, accessible voice (which is sometimes irreverent, sometimes funny, sometimes very reverent). It took me awhile to read, mostly because it is so thoughtful. Definitely a book to savor and reflect on.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the most stimulating book I've read in a long, long time. I'm so sad it's over, especially after that wonderful last chapter. Thank you Sherry Simpson; I now think of you as the Carl Safina of Bears.

[Sherri Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Well written, thought out and researched. It is a must read for those who love bears.