(Paul's Books #7780)

This book will be released at Paul’s Birthday Party 2012 at 1751 S 1500 E.

Happy Birthday, dear Paul!

I attended Paul Ostler's birthday celebration, and had such a pleasant evening! I visited with many wonderful people, selected some great books, and left a gift from Oakcrest-Eagles and me. Brent and Teresa, you are an exemplary couple, and I have a deep love and respect for you.

I read another Paul's Pass-Along copy of this book years ago. I enjoyed reading it, and couldn't resist getting the book for a revisit. Thank you for the gift.

Touching Spirit Bear is on its way back to PaulsBooks. Thank you for sharing it with Oakcrest-Eagles and me.

And I picked this copy up at Paul's last birthday party . And having had so many copies (this makes #6), I failed to realize this one hadn't been jounalled. (hangs head in shame). I've read at least three of the copies before sending it on, several on the Rez.
so here is the journal from one of the previous copies:

Another book I brought home from Paul's Birthday party ::-)

I've read and given away (other copies of) this book twice. When I saw it at Paul's party, I knew I wanted to include it in the Native American Bookbox I'm starting, so other bookcrossers may enjoy it also.

This time I didn't have the time to reread it, but here is the journal from my first copy:

I read this book 2-3 years ago, and found it wonderful. I thought it too special to be left to the vagaries of wilding, so it has been sitting on my 'to be bookcrossed' shelf, awaiting the next reader.

I have been blessed to receive, over the past 20 years, many teachings from Native peoples....combine that with my love of a good coming-of-age tale, and there was no way I could not totally enjoy this book !

Amazon:
Amazon Editorial Review

Will the attack of the Spirit Bear destroy Cole's life or save his soul?

Cole Matthews has been fighting, stealing, and raising hell for years. So his punishment for beating Peter Driscal senseless is harsh. Given a choice between prison and Native American Circle Justice, Cole chooses Circle Justice: He'll spend one year in complete isolation on a remote Alaskan island. In the first days of his banishment, Cole is mauled by a mysterious white bear and nearly dies. Now there's no one left to save Cole, but Cole himself.

As I didn't make it to the Sundance this summer, this book is now being offered in booklady's ABC VBB.

As this book obviously never made it either into the last Native American bookbox, nor down to the Rez, it’s still been bouncing around my house in and out of hiding. So into this new native American and all indigenous peoples bookbox it will go.

Adding to the Native American/First Nations/Indigenous Peoples bookbox, departing this week :)

I'm claiming this book from the Indigenous Peoples bookbox; the bookbox journal with the list of books taken and replaced is here.

A mix of troubled-youth/coming-of-age/wilderness-survival, plus nods to Tlingit "circle justice", a concept of bringing those who commit crimes to realize their connection to others, and where the offenders and the victims work together to come up with suitable restitution. The theory's a good one (though there are some crimes for which I'm not sure it is possible!), and while I've seen critical reviews of Mikaelsen's interpretation of Tlingit tradition, it's still presented as an unusual, difficult, but potentially healing way of handling (in this case) viciously angry bullies.

The chapters in which we first meet Cole - a very angry bully indeed - and where we find out what he did, are tough to read. And then he has a near-fatal encounter with a bear while alone in the wilderness, leading to a grisly survival sequence that could make a movie all by itself. But his physical recovery isn't the important thing - he has to reach out to the boy he beat up, in hopes that he can gain forgiveness.

Guidelines for safely visiting and stocking Little Free Libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the LFL site here.

I left this book in the Little Free Library, in honor of International BookCrossing Day. Hope someone enjoys the book!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2021 Keep Them Moving challenge. ***