Blindsided: Surviving a Grizzly Attack and Still Loving the Great Bear [Hardcover]

Jim Cole (Author), Tim Vandehey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 8, 2010

Jim Cole has spent years tramping into the depths of places like Alaska, Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park in search of grizzlies, seeing these magnificent, powerful and reclusive animals at their most unguarded—foraging, fishing, caring for cubs, or simply lying in the backcountry sunshine. At times, he’s been surrounded by dozens of bears deep in the wilderness, yet has never felt threatened by these incredible and misunderstood creatures. Even after being mauled by a grizzly in 1993, Jim eagerly trekked annually into the bears’ habitat, armed only with bear spray, his camera, and his knowledge of how to stay safe. But nothing could have prepared him for May 23, 200, when he was attacked in Yellowstone by a mother grizzly who felt that his presence threatened her cub. The bear literally ripped off most of his face, blinded him in one eye, and savaged him nearly to the point of death. Jim was left sightless, bleeding, wounded and alone in the wilderness. He managed to find his way several miles through the wild country back to a main road, where passersby found him. In part, Blindsided is a gripping, detailed account of that fateful day—how Jim survived an assault by one of the most unstoppable predators on earth and managed to carry himself to safety despite his gruesome injuries. It’s also the story of how he recovered with the help and support of friends, family and a dedicated medical team, but perhaps most importantly, the book is a love story between and man and animal, a clear-eyed and affectionate look at the marvel that is the grizzly bear—its astonishing habits and intelligence, the threats it faces at the hand of man, and its hopes for the future.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Having survived two grizzly attacks, Cole, a nature photographer, songwriter, and bear enthusiast, has a good tale to tell. In Glacier National Park in 1993, Cole was attacked by a bear, but a friend with bear spray chased it away, and Cole survived with minor injuries and no hard feelings toward bears. He was alone in Yellowstone in 2007 when an unseen mother grizzly protecting her cub attacked, ripping his face and blinding him in one eye. Seeing through a slit in the lid of his remaining eye and losing blood, he had to hike out quickly to avoid going into shock and becoming food for coyotes. In this upbeat memoir laced with data about bears, descriptions of their habitats, and stories of other mauling incidents, Cole recounts his trauma care, rehabilitation, and campaign to protect the wildlife to which he devotes his life. Although some readers will think Cole inspiring, others will judge him fanatical. Book clubs recruiting men should consider this engrossing book. --Rick Roche

Review

"While Blindsided vividly portrays researcher Jim Cole's amazing survival and recovery from a surprise grizzly bear attack, what impressed me the most is his passion for the bears and wilderness.  His story of retiring from real estate for a life of outdoor research and advocacy inspired me to fill two pages at the back of the book with a list of my own dreams and goals for the next twenty years. Blindsided will entertain, educate, and inspire you too.”--Aron Ralston, author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place

“Blindsided is hardly your typical 'bear chew' book. Rather than demonizing grizzlies and dwelling on lurid details, two-time mauling survivor Jim Cole offers a compelling, positive narrative that transports the reader into a landscape where the great bear reigns. Rich in detail, woven from years of personal experience, Cole's story is a rare tale of high adventure, redemption, and tolerance.”--Nick Jans, author of The Grizzly Maze: Timothy Treadwell's Fatal Obsession With Alaskan Bears

“Blindsided demonstrates that Jim Cole is a man of almost unimaginable courage.  That he still loves grizzly bears after twice very nearly losing his life to one demonstrates even more vividly that he is a person of almost inconceivable goodness of heart.”--Thomas McNamee, author of The Grizzly Bear and The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone

“At Camp Menominee in Wisconsin, ten-year-old Jim Cole was terrified by a black bear that galloped through the camp. Did that change his life? It did, but not in the way you’d expect. He devoted his adult life to tracking and photographing grizzly bears in the backcountry of the American West. He has been attacked twice, and nearly killed the second time. Did that change his life? Of course it did; he admired the great bears even more, and wrote this incredible book about his obsession. Will he be attacked again? Read on.”-- Richard Ellis, author of On Thin Ice: The Changing World of the Polar Bear

“Blindsided touches on the same issues that face the African lion today. The primal fear humans have of bears and lions causes a huge amount of hysteria that is only stirred up further when the media gets a whiff of a mauling. The facts get distorted and all the good work done by people who are trying to protect these majestic creatures gets undone. I whole-heartedly agree with Jim Cole that education programs need to target the youth who are the future protectors of our wildlife. We need to explain to them that wild animals such as the grizzly are not crazed, mindless, man-eating predators, such as the media and feature films made about them would have us believe. People who love animals and ‘against all odds’ stories are sure to enjoy this book.”--Kevin Richardson, author of Part of the Pride

 “Blindsided is a gripping read.  Jim Cole’s honesty and thoughtfulness shine through and you can’t help yourself caring deeply about this man and his mission.  When I read the section dealing with the second grizzly bear attack, I found myself actually saying a prayer for Jim. This book is more than just an account of two grizzly bear attacks, it is a celebration of a life.”--Michael J. Tougias, survival expert and author of Fatal Forecast, Ten Hours Until Dawn, and Overboard!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (June 8, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312601093
• ISBN-13: 978-0312601096
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #920,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting Read!, June 9, 2010

By 

Cara Specks (Chicago, IL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blindsided: Surviving a Grizzly Attack and Still Loving the Great Bear (Hardcover)

I read this book from cover to cover~ absolutely riveting. Not only does this book describe a horrific event, but also a man's journey and a mission to portray his passion in a positive light despite unimaginable hurdles. Blindsided took me for a ride that I will not soon forget. Vivid details in combination with emotional appeal allowed me to get a true feel for Jim Cole and what might have been going on inside the mind of a man so committed to such a majestic and mysterious animal. Blindsided is a great window into a subject matter which many of us fail to truly understand or appreciate. It's truly a jaw dropping read and a rare opportunity, worth the read!

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bindsided by BLINDSIDED, June 26, 2010

By 

Dave S. (Lopez Is., WA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blindsided: Surviving a Grizzly Attack and Still Loving the Great Bear (Hardcover)

I was blindsided by BLINDSIDED. I was expecting a book about grizzly bears and, although the author suffered two serious attacks from grizzly bears, the book is not about bears. It's about him and his life before and after the attacks. If the author knows as much about bears as he claims that knowledge is little demonstrated in this book. He focuses primarily on repetitive expression of appreciation for those who came to his aid following the attacks and treated him and supported him through recovery from admittedly tramatic experiences. He tells and retells many of his life experiences. By the end of the book you will have read at least five times how he comes by his strong legs! If any of his book is intended to reflect knowledge and understanding of The Great Bear, he comes across more as a preservationist than a bear expert. His goal to educate others about bears is admirable, but he seems a little too much like Timothy Treadwell for my tastes to be taken very seriously. There are a few nice grizzly photos in the book.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It grabbed me..., June 9, 2010

By 

Andrea "kidsmba" (Lyman, NH, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blindsided: Surviving a Grizzly Attack and Still Loving the Great Bear (Hardcover)

... almost like one of the bears that changed Jim Cole's life!

I was expecting a story about bears. Or maybe one about nature and survival. Or a gruesome account of a mauling followed by a superhuman survivor story that no one could ever hope to live up to. That's all in there.

But what is most impressive about Blindsided is that it is a story about a regular guy who left a regular life to pursue his dreams and, despite two near death experiences, wouldn't trade his choice for anything. Interesting, uplifting and well-written, Blindsided is not listed under "spiritual" or "inspirational" - but probably should be.