The Grizzly Maze: Timothy Treadwell's Fatal Obsession with Alaskan Bears (Hardcover)

by Nick Jans (Author) "Ready?" pilot Gary Porter's voice crackled over the headset..." (more)
Key Phrases: bear spray, bear biologists, bear viewing, Timothy Treadwell, Park Service, Van Daele (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Jans (Tracks of the Unseen, etc.) presents a fast-paced, thoughtful and evenhanded account of the life and death of self-appointed bear guardian Timothy Treadwell, who, along with a girlfriend, was killed and eaten by grizzlies in Alaska's Katmai National Park in 2003. Treadwell had for 13 summers befriended the bears, camping in territory that includes a labyrinth of trails known as the "grizzly maze." No one knows why the grizzlies, normally tolerant of humans, turned on him. Two bears had to be shot, and many people felt vindicated by his death, because bear biologists and Park Service officials had for years criticized his activities, believing that contact with humans is not in the bears' best interest. Jans is ambivalent about Treadwell (whom he never met), sympathizing with his desire to communicate with the animals, yet admitting that the man was self-serving, courting the media and writing a mawkish book about his experiences. Jans doesn't stint on the details of Treadwell's troubled past, his gory death and the media frenzy that followed, but he tackles a broader issue as well: our evolving relationship with nature and the folly of this kind of attempt at interspecies interaction.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–A self-appointed guardian of grizzlies, Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were attacked and eaten in 2003 by the very animals that were his passion. Jans presents a fair and exacting account of the events that led up to the tragedy, and, in doing so, shows readers the different sides of a complex and controversial man. Woven throughout the account are interviews with Treadwell's proponents, who believed that his motive in camping out in a labyrinth of trails in Alaska's Katmai National Park, known as the grizzly maze, was to protect the bears he observed from poachers. Readers also hear from the bear biologists and park service officials who for years criticized his behavior as dangerous and unscientific. It would be easy enough to dismiss Treadwell as a well-meaning but foolish person whose luck simply ran out. Jans gives his audience much to consider and allows them to decide. As to what type of man Treadwell actually was, the author says he arrives at his answer depending on the day or moment. The bigger issues of humans' relationship with nature and the dangers of interacting too closely with wildlife are also discussed.–Peggy Bercher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (July 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525948864
• ISBN-13: 978-0525948865
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #534,421 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

102 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Well Balance Chronical of This Tragedy, September 29, 2005

By	Sharpbevel (N. Hemisphere) - See all my reviews

I live in Kodiak Alaska and am proud to associate myself and my fellow islanders as good neighbors to the Brown bear. Unfortunately Mr. Treadwell did not feel the same and felt it was appropriate to intrude on the these wild but magnificant creatures. This turned out to be a deadly mistake to both human and bear alike.

When Timothy Treadwell and his friend, Amie Huguenard were killed in October 2003 at the Katmai National Park most people from Kodiak had no idea who he was. The conservationist and the Park personnel however did. A lot of anger erupted over this incident due to Treadwell's encroachment of the bears and I found myself getting angrier and angrier the more I learned about this man who felt he was a "bear whisperer" when in fact he was self serving and obviously ignorant of the fact that if he was killed the bears would pay the ultimate price.

Jans does a fantastic job telling this story. He is a very good writer and the book is an easy read. He is fair and balanced and he goes a long way to put closure of this incident for many people. He tells it all. The good, bad and ugly. He approached his research in a respectful and scientific way. He was able to gain the trust of the locals here (no easy feat) who shared with him their knowledge of bears and the people involved. Jans does a magnificant job telling the story and due to his prior experiences in Alaska he was able to explain much of Treadwell's actions which helped me channel much of the anger I had over this incident into a deeper understanding of Mr. Treadwell's actions. Jans does this the same way Jon Krakauer did with the main character from his best selling book, Into The Wilds. I felt the negative emotions I had over this experience disappearing and learned even more about our neighbors, the bears and have even more respect for them now. I very rarely give a book 5-stars but I read this book in a single day and just couldn't put it down.

The afterward requires the reader to pay very close attention to the material Jans presents on black and brown bear attacks. One can gather lots of useful information by reading this closely and studying the graphs. Jans seems to be empathetic to the reader knowing he is dumping a lot of material on us but in the end it is worth it. The reader just needs to be patient. He even summarizes the chapter which really helped put it together for me and should be required knowledge for all who trek in the wilds.

I was very fortunate that I got to meet Mr. Jans at a local presentation and this really added to the overall enjoyment of the book. He is very friendly and speaks well and a wonderful story teller. I highly recommend this book to those who want to learn more about bear behavior and what happens when humans interfere with the laws of nature.

63 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating story, November 15, 2005

By	A. Cooper "possum" (Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is definitely a book that's hard to put down. Jans has an easy style of writing, not overly florid, yet descriptive. He has clearly bent over backward to approach the subject of the "bear whisperer" with a fair and open mind, giving great consideration to all the various viewpoints that Treadwell inspired.

Those who think Timonthy was solely an egotistical fool, and those who are just as sure he was a blameless hero, should skip this book. All others should be fascinated by the story's complexities and frustrating contradictions.

Personally, I think the "Timothy must save bears from poachers" defense of his actions are way overblown (the only photo that he put forth of a poacher hunting one of his bears, was actually just a pic he shot of an unknowing friend walking with his rifle on his way home -- illustrating that Treadwell had no problem manipulating the truth for his/the bears supposed benefit.)

There are probably only two "truths" to come out of this story: Timothy Treadwell loved grizzly bears. And grizzly bears just want to be left alone to live their lives as intended... and that includes being spared the unwanted presence of bear worshippers.

In the end, these were not "Timothy's bears". They are not Mr. Chocolate and Downy and Cupcake. They never were. They are bears. Wild bears -- and their lives go on without Timothy, just as they always have.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and entertaining, August 20, 2005

By	M. Keogh (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

One day in 1999, as I was channel surfing, I came across a documentary on the Discovery Channel entitled "Grizzly Diaries" which was ostensibly about Alaskan bears. Being that I've had a long interest with both Alaska and bears, I stopped my channel surfing to watch the show. I was therefore treated to the stupifying antics of one Timothy Treadwell of Malibu! As I sat there with my mouth agape staring in disbelief at the bizarre, reckless behavior of this effeminate-sounding wanna-be Grizzly Adams, I was saying to myself: "This man is nuts! And he's going to get himself killed!" Thus, when the news came in October 2003 that Treadwell had indeed been killed by a bear, it sparked an interest to learn more about this man and the events of his death. Nick Jans' book, "The Grizzly Maze," is an entertaining and satisfying reading experience for those interested in Mr. Treadwell.

As other reviewers have noted, Jans is a gifted writer and his laid-back, folksy style is a pleasure to read. I finished this book in two days- it's so well written that it makes an already interesting topic even more fascinating.

Jans attempts to be has evenhanded as possible with his controversial subject. To many people, especially most Alaskans, Treadwell was a benighted greenie interloper who got his ecological comeuppance for trying to make "nicey-nice" with the bears. To others, Treadwell was a heroic eco-warrior who lived a full passionate life that mundane souls can only dream about. Jans finds truths in both of those viewpoints.

Jans finds a lot about Treadwell to admire and, in fact, sees a lot similarities between himself and Timothy. He clearly admires Treadwell's passion, his drive, his refusal to settle, and, above all, his sheer guts! He also discovers through interviews with Treadwell's few Alaskan friends that he was not as naive about bears as his public persona let on. According to his friends, Treadwell had developed a real expertise in recognizing bear behavior. The fact that he was able to live among them for thirteen years speaks volumes that the man knew what he was doing. He was also fully aware that some bears were very dangerous and took precautions to avoid confrontations. Finally, Treadwell's passion was undeniable- thirteen years spent soaking wet, bug-bitten in some of the toughest wilderness on planet shows a man driven by a lot more than a lust for publicity.

However, Jans' book provides plenty of ammunition for those who did not hold a high opinion of Mr. Treadwell. In some ways, Treadwell had the mentality of a con artist. He had no qualms of lying to people about his background- this native NYer with his family still alive and well on Long Island had no problem telling people he was a British orphan or from Australia. This leads to Treadwell's most controversial claim that he was defending endangered bears from hordes of ruthless poachers. It was this claim that still infuriates Alaskans and the National Park Service. And it is this claim that his supporters still fervently believe. Jans shows that the facts demonstrate that Treadwell was either lying or delusional. The bears he was allegedly protecting were in not endangered in anyway and that poaching was non-existant in the areas he frequented. Not even Treadwell's few Alaskan friends bought his stories about poachers. To Jans, the only people who bought Treadwell's poaching stories were well-meaning, but gullible greenies in the lower 48.

So if Treadwell was not providing protection to the bears then what was he doing? According to Jans, Treadwell simply just wanted to be friends with the bears. However, that leads to the question to what purpose would that lead? In the end, it leads to death of the bears- habituating them to humans makes them either dangerous or vulnerable. And that led to what happened during a rainstorm on October 5, 2003. Jans' model for what happened is very plausible based on the known facts. Further, the grisly details of the aftermath are not for the faint of heart- descriptions of the remains of the bodies and the contents of a bear's stomach are described.

Jans' book is a terrific entry to what seems to be a growing cult of interest in the life and death of Timothy Treadwell which has already seen numerous articles, two books, and two documentary films.