Death in the Grizzly Maze: The Timothy Treadwell Story (Paperback)

by Mike Lapinski (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

On the afternoon of October 5, 2003, in Alaska's Katmai National Park, one or more brown bears killed and ate Timothy Treadwell, a well-known wildlife celebrity, and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard. This frightening and chilling story immediately captured worldwide media attention and ignited a firestorm of controversy. Death in the Grizzly Maze is the compelling account of Treadwell's intense life and dramatic death. Author Mike Lapinski chronicles Treadwell's rise from self-described alcoholic loser to popular grizzly-bear advocate, and he delves into the troubling issues raised by a new breed of wildlife celebrities.

From the Back Cover

On the afternoon of Sunday, October 5, 2003, in Alaska's Katmai National Park, one or more brown bears killed and ate Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard. The next day, park rangers investigating the site shot and killed two bears that threatened them; it was later determined that one of the bears had human flesh and clothing in its stomach.
This chilling story immediately captured worldwide media attention, not only because of the horrific manner of Timothy and Amie's deaths, but also because Timothy was a well-known wildlife celebrity. His films of close-up encounters with grizzly bears – he spent more than a dozen summers living with and videotaping giant bears in the Alaskan bush – were the subject of television talk shows, movies, and books.
But his work was not without controversy, and some bear experts felt that Treadwell's fatal encounter was a tragedy waiting to happen – the result of the unorthodox tactics he used in his life among the bears.
Death in the Grizzly Maze is the compelling account of Treadwell's intense life and dramatic death. Author Mike Lapinski chronicles Treadwell's rise from self-described alcoholic loser to popular grizzly-bear advocate. Lapinski explores how a waiter from Malibu, California, with no background in biology or wildlife science, came to be considered a bear expert. And he reveals the high cost of the current craze for wildlife celebrities – and what it means for the future of wildlife conservation.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 1st edition (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762736771
• ISBN-13: 978-0762736775
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #397,217 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Deathly Opinionated Book.... blahhh!, October 5, 2005

By	Bond... James Bond "007.5" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

I read both this and Nick Jans "Grizzly Maze" book after having watched the "Grizzly Man" docu-film. I have not read Treadwell's own "Among Grizzlies" but, in hindsight, I feel that both the Herzog film and Nick Jans' "Grizzly Maze" were much better and more objective treatments of the guy. Nick Jans' writing is far better than Lapinski's also, and one gets the impression that this book was banged together too quickly. If you are deciding between either Jans' "Grizzly Maze" or this "Death in the Grizzly Maze", your time is better spent on "Grizzly Maze".

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars TIMBITS 2, September 30, 2005

By	David R. Spence "Grizzly Fan" (ROUNDTOWN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am far from a Treadwell fan, and I felt that Nick Jans 'Grizzly Maze' was too soft on Timmy Treadwell, but this book swings too far in the other direction. Nick Jans is a much better writer, and his book steers clear of the wild speculation which Lapinsky indulges in here. It was obvious to anyone with common sense that Treadwell was a deeply disturbed man who was chasing the only path to celebrity he could find, and it was only a matter of time before the big bears took him out. Does it really matter if Timmy was bipolar or not ? Speculating on whether his friends, the NPS, etc. could have saved him misses the point- only Tim Treadwell could have saved Tim Treadwell, and he didn't think he had a problem, he thought he had found his star. Lapinsky's position is further diluted by his (if you read Lapinsky's 'Bear Attacks-Who Survived and Why?' you knew it was coming) inclusion of a bear spray commercial chapter 'Could Bear Spray Have Saved Tim Treadwell?'. Overall, the book reads like it was hastily cobbled together, perhaps in an attempt to be first to the marketplace.

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fair look, September 17, 2005

By	Adam C. Hill (Grover Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm sure this book wouldn't have been as interesting if I hadn't seen the Herzog doc, "Grizzly Man," which is excellent and offers a more subtle critique of Treadwell (his partner was made a producer of the film in exchange for full access).

It's a fair look at Treadwell, and has many quotes from many different people (biologists, wildlife experts, park rangers, etc) and all of them are sympathetically critical of Treadwell's dangerous and delusional behavior.

It's a great story of a troubled man, but his defenders continue to do the bears a disservice. He did more harm than good, and got himself and his girlfriend and two bears killed because of his reckless actions. The wildlife tv stars should all take notice of this tragic story.