Van Tighem, Patricia. The bear's embrace; a story of survival.Random House, Anchor. 273p. c2000.0-385-72165-X. $13.00. SA This memoir is an incredible and sometimes horrific description of a grizzly bear grizzly bear or grizzly, large, powerful North American brown bear, characterized by gray-streaked, or grizzled, fur. Grizzlies are 6 to 8 ft (180–250 cm) long, stand 3 1-2 to 4 ft (105–120 cm) at the humped shoulder, and weigh up to attack and the author's physical recovery and suffering through Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) A disorder that occurs among survivors of severe environmental stress such as a tornado, an airplane crash, or military combat. Symptoms include anxiety, insomnia, flashbacks, and nightmares. . She tells her story in an appealing and dramatically intense manner that pulis the reader into the thoughts and emotions she is experiencing. Van Tighem was a nurse at the time of the mauling, married for a short while to Trevor Janz, a young medical student. The book opens with some background on the beginning of their relationship and a brief description of the events leading up to the attack during a backpacking backpacking Sport of hiking while carrying clothing, food, and camping equipment in a pack on the back. In the early 20th century backpacking was primarily a means of getting to wilderness areas inaccessible by car or by day hike. trip in the Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. The southern end in Alberta and British Columbia borders Idaho and Montana of the USA. The northern end is at the Liard Plain in British Columbia. in 1983. Van Tighem uses the present tense pres·ent tense n. The verb tense expressing action in the present time, as in She writes; she is writing. Noun 1. present tense - a verb tense that expresses actions or states at the time of speaking present to tell the story and relates details of the attack in the sequence that she experienced them. She and Trevor both suffered severe head and facial trauma. Neither one was aware of the damage the other suffered during the one-in-two-million chance encounter they experienced. Intense pain and grief followed the incident as they attempted to adjust to their altered appearances and the reactions of other people. The book chronicles 17 years of nightmares, endless surgeries, pain, medication, psychiatric wards and attempted suicide. It also relates the special value of four children and Trevor in Van Tighem's life as she struggled to overcome the constant fear and guilt and come to terms with what had happened. At last, a Native American belief about bear attacks began to infuse in·fuse v. 1. To steep or soak without boiling in order to extract soluble elements or active principles. 2. To introduce a solution into the body through a vein for therapeutic purposes. some meaning for her into all the suffering. An unforgettable story of human strength and endurance. Ann Hart, Trustee, Juniata Cty. Lib., Mifflintown, PA |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion