With his knowledge of grizzlies, research into bear biology, and Millie's radio collar data, Andrews narrates the story as it might have happened and describes the impact of grizzlies losing their wilderness over time ... This fascinating, well-researched, and lyrical memoir will appeal to conservationists, those curious about large predators, and readers who relish stories of the West.
...a lyrical exploration of an attempt to accommodate two disparate goals—the dairy farmer’s need for the corn to feed his cattle and the grizzly’s need to eat and fatten up during the short Montana summer. The resulting saga of the fence, the bears, and the cruel tricks fate can play read like a grand Great Plains tragedy in the Faulknerian mode. Andrews’ empathic writing turns Millie’s story into the embodiment of modern compromise with apex predators.
The two sides of Bryce Andrews — enlightened rancher and sensitive writer — appear to make a smooth fit ... [a] poignant and disturbing new book ... Andrews writes precise and evocative prose.
... a beautifully written account ... Andrews conveys his passion for the west’s landscape and inhabitants through his sensitive writing, which avoids either anthropomorphizing the wildlife or villainizing ordinary people ... [Andrews's] book is a testament to his compassion.
The chief merit of the book is its gorgeous prose. Andrews has spent years working on ranches in the American West; he has a large amount of personal experience with the wildlife, and he brings readers into their world in passage after passage of memorable prose ... the book firmly resists cheap sympathy-mongering for either ‘side’ of this issue ... Bryce Andrews has written a book that somehow, even against those odds, manages to shine with a slender but tough light of optimism. Readers will appreciate that even if they end up not quite believing it.
A thoughtful story of bears, humans, and their tragic interactions ... Montana-based conservationist Andrews...writes without sentimentality or undue anthropomorphizing of a pair of grizzly cubs whose mother, Millie, was brutally murdered, leaving the cubs orphaned and helpless ... A gem of environmental writing fitting alongside the work of Doug Peacock, Roger Caras, and other champions of wildlife and wild land.
[Andrews] combines research with experience ... This local story illustrates larger concerns ... Andrews’s well-written cautionary tale leaves readers with the sobering message that humans must as well, if they are to be responsible stewards of nature.
