Blindsided - 9780312601096

"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."ùAron 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."ùNick Jans, author of The Grizzly Maze

"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."ùRichard Ellis, author of On Thin Ice: The Changing World of the Polar Bear

"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. This book is more than just an account of two grizzly bear attacks; it is a celebration of a life."ùMichael J. Tougias, survival expert and author of Fatal Forecast, Ten Hours Until Dawn, and Overboard!

"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."ùThomas Mcnamee, author of The Grizzly Bear and The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone

"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 wholeheartedly 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 Ay ho love animals and 'against all odds' stories are sure to enjoy this book."ùKevin Richardson, author of Part of am Pride

Part personal memoir of two grizzly maulings, part natural history, Winds/tied is a gripping story of survival, a cautionary tale, but also a tribute to the wild grizzlies of America.

Jim Cole has spent years tramping into the depths of places like Alaska, Yellowstone National Park, and Glacier National Park in search of grizzlies, and he has seen 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 he has never felt threatened by these awe-inspiring 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 the day in 2007 when he was attacked in Yellowstone by a mother grizzly who felt that his presence threatened her cub. The bear literally ripped of 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.

Blindsided is a gripping, detailed account of that fateful dayùhow 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 important, the book is a love story between man and animal, a clear-eyed and affectionate look at the marvel that is the grizzly bearùits astonishing habits and intelligence, the threats it faces at the hand of man, and its future.