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Praise for A Shape in the Dark

“If anyone has earned the right to write a book about brown bears, it’s Bjorn Dihle. Alaska born, raised in a land shaped and defined by their presence, he’s the perfect guide on a journey that weaves natural and human history together with his own, often harrowing experiences in bear country. Unflinchingly authentic, intensely personal, artfully told, and deeply moving, A Shape in the Dark ranks as not only one of the best bear books, but one of the greatest Alaska books ever.”

—Nick Jans, author of The Grizzly Maze and A Wolf Called Romeo

“A Shape in the Dark is an at times terrifying, but always thoughtful and vivid portrayal of America’s storied history with brown bears. You’ll find yourself listening for a twig to snap or alder to sway as Bjorn Dihle transports you to another world, one where you are not at the top of the food chain. These tales will stick with you long after you close the book.”

—Alex Messenger, author of The Twenty-Ninth Day: Surviving a Grizzly Attack in the Canadian Tundra

“Wilderness guide Dihle creates a wide-ranging portrait of brown bears in this adventurous collection of essays. The book, Dihle writes, is ‘about our relationship with brown bears,’ though it’s also an ode to Alaskan wilderness as his home state becomes ‘more encroached upon.’ His experiences run between panic and reverence in the face of the ‘incredibly muscled and poised’ animal, and interspersed with his encounters are profiles of past adventurers and their relationships with bears. . . . He creates memorable portraits of fellow explorers, but where Dihle’s writing shines is in his unwavering appreciation of and commitment to preserving bears’ wild habitat: ‘Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.’ With its vivid prose, this moving homage to Alaska and those who live there really hits home.”

—Publishers Weekly

“A Shape in the Dark . . . reveals the complicated morality around brown bears, wilderness, and ideas of masculinity. It is reverent in discussing wilderness while acknowledging human beings’ enduring compulsions to subdue it. Rather than suggesting answers, the book acknowledges human paradoxes and is humble about living within them.”

—Foreword Reviews

“To walk in the land of the mighty grizzly bear is to delve into the wild of our being. Bjorn Dihle takes us on this journey, exploring those who walked before him, and praying that those who follow can discover their own true nature.”

—Amy Gulick, author of The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind