Lessons from the Wolverine

by Barry Lopez, Tom Pohrt (Illustrator)

In this story of a spiritual adventure from the author and illustrator of Crow and Weasel , a young man journeys through the arctic wilderness to find a family of wolverine and learn more about their mysterious power. At the time the story opens the narrator is working as an airplane mechanic in northeast Alaska. Long sensitive to wild animals, he feels drawn to wolverines through his dreams. One day his work takes him to the riverside village of Eedaqna, where he meets an older man who is impressed by his integrity and his desire to make a connection with wolverines. The villager guides him into the Ruby Mountains to Caribou Caught by the Head Creek, a place where wolverines have a spiritual stronghold. Here the young man enters the dream landscape of two wolverine, and receives from them the first lessons he will use to shape his adult life. Barry Lopez's story, infused with gentle magic, shows how one man comes to experience the wondrous power of animals and to understand his place in the natural world in a new way. Tom Pohrt's watercolor illustrations add vivid dimension to the story, bringing to life the land, people, and animals the young man encounters on his journey. Lessons from the Wolverine depicts with stunning detail the texture and nuance of discovery and suggests the importance of a wisdom other than our own.

Genres: Fiction, Nature, Folklore, Philosophy

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1997

About the author

Barry Holstun Lopez is an American author, essayist, and fiction writer whose work is known for its environmental and social concerns.

Lopez has been described as "the nation's premier nature writer" by the San Francisco Chronicle. In his non-fiction, he frequently examines the relationship between human culture and physical landscape, while in his fiction he addresses issues of intimacy, ethics and identity.

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures. Good message about hunting sustainably, and also that wolverines are supremely awesome.

[stellajames · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet little read. Gorgeous illustrations by Tom Pohrt.

[flms23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barry Lopez is one of our great observers of the natural world and in this illustrated book he adds the magical realism of animal mythology to tell his tale.

In this beautifully illustrated short book, Lopez re-teams with artist Tom Pohrt (Crow and Weasel).

The book's narrator, a young man alone in the arctic wilderness, encounters two wolverines who teach him lessons that shape the course of his life.

[Ruth York · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many folk stories that stand alone, vs being a part of a larger collection, this book is short. But it is well done. It is a story that is hard to put into a box of a particular genre (I did my best on that account). Is it a lesson on conservation, spiritualism, or something else? I suspect it would depend on the reader and where they are at in their own life. Much like poetry, you will get out of it what you are meant to. Or not, if you are closed off from such things. But it was intriguing, and I enjoyed it. The illustrations by Tom Pohrt are lovely as well.

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I haven’t started a family yet, which is all right with me, but my friends in the coastal villages and up in the Brooks Range don’t like it. They don’t talk to me quite as much because I don’t have a family. No children. They believe it’s strange. But they have strangeness in their own lives.”

A gentle little story of honoring nature by way of myth and how deep curiosity into myth only leads one back to their life.

Whenever I read Barry Lopez, he expands my heart and fills my soul. And I’m gently working my way through everything he has ever written.

[Ray Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This paragraph appeared in my Substack article https://rayzimmerman.substack.com/p/i...
Lessons from the Wolverine by Barry Lopez, with illustrations from Tom Pohrt, is an exploration of Indigenous knowledge systems. Though classified as a work of fiction, it meets his definition of an authentic story. I have read nearly all of his works and reviewed his book Vintage Lopez here on Substack, but only recently acquired a copy of Lessons from the Wolverine.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dreamy and surreal recounting of animal dreaming experience with wolverines. As is often the case with myths, the ending felt abrupt and unfinished. I was left with more questions than answers but maybe that is the point.

[Timothy Farring · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting, and I think it would belong in a lesson about different cultures and how they view the afterlife. I wasn't a super big fan it was quite odd. I don't think I will be adding this book to my library.

[Gino Kutcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not certain how to rate this story as the way this story is told is far removed from the western European traditions of storytelling which I am most use to. I think that exposure is a positive even if it felt, different, to read.

[IlliterateLemon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll assume that the point of this short and pretty book went over my head. Though I'll say that this most definitely seems to be a piece written more so for it's creators and a small target audience. Very short read though. Definitely worth your time in that sense.

[Kobeest · Rating 5 out of 5]

the title story in this collection still haunts me...compels me to read it again and again. along with enders game, by orson scott card, and an instant in the wind, by andre brink, this is the book i give most often, both literally and figuratively.

[Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretentious and formless. Writers who purposely do not use correct punctuation in an effort to create a mood or rhythm distract me.

The illustrations, on the other hand, are quite good.

One wonders why a university press would publish such a book.

[Reagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really cool! It teaches a good lesson too, although it is kindof short.

[Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief, moving short story. Barry Lopez' fiction is always surprising, and this is a perfect, eloquent example

[Mark Lacy · Rating 1 out of 5]

more like a little story than something that deserved packaging as a book; so short I stood and read it in the bookstore; didn't get anything out of it

[SmokingMirror · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations make this little book especially attractive

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

People seem to scoff at this book because of its brevity and simplicity. Those characteristics help make this story a deep tale about the relationship of wolverine, men, and the wild.