Bear With Me
A Cultural History of Famous Bears in America
The place bears play in American culture is given a scholarly growl in Daniel Horowitz’s Bear With Me, which dissects the nation’s affection for, fear of, and ill-advised anthropomorphization of bears of all varieties.
This is a detailed, entertaining, and informative breakdown of bears in popular culture. From the storied annals of bears used in marketing, as with Smokey Bear, to adventurers and charlatans for whom bears were the catapult to fame, as with Grizzly Adams and Hugh Glass, the book frames the country’s obsession with the ursine with an academic air.
Granular revelations parse out the proliferation of bears as inanimate companions and cartoonish reimaginings. Horowitz demonstrates the true stories behind cultural touchstones like the teddy bear and the origins of Winnie the Pooh. What bears mean in gay communities, the tragedy and psychology of Timothy Treadwell, and polar bears’ rise in visibility thanks to climate-change awareness and Coca-Cola are also covered.
Bear With Me is a revealing cultural history that puts bears in popular culture, including Yogi Bear and Paddington, into greater context.
Reviewed by
Ryan Prado
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
