The Big Read with Doug Peacock

October is an exciting month here in the Flathead; it's The Big Read!!! Throughout the month, the Flathead County Library System is celebrating Jack London's The Call of the Wild with speakers, films and discussions. If you are into wilderness, survival and adventure, this is the month for you! Drop by your area branch and pick up a free copy of the book today (be quick - they're going fast!)

The Big Read will kick off this Sunday with a visit from grizzly bear expert Doug Peacock. Doug is an American naturalist, outdoorsman, and author. He is best known for his book Grizzly Years: In Search of the American Wilderness, a memoir of his experiences in the 1970s and 1980s, much of which was spent alone in the wilderness of the western United States observing grizzly bears.

Want an introduction to Doug? Take a look at these sites:

• National Geographic Adventure interview with Doug, discussing his life and experiences
  
• Outside Magazine article by Doug discussing Grizzly Man stars, Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard
• Video of Doug and his wife Andrea, as they discuss grizzly bears and conservation
  

For further reading, check out these books (available via your friendly neighborhood library, of course!):

• Grizzly Years: in search of the American wilderness, by Doug Peacock - Upon returning from two tours of duty in Vietnam, Doug headed into the woods to find grizzlies and experience the American wilderness.
  
• Among Grizzlies: living with wild bears in Alaska, by Timothy Treadwell. Authored by the subject of the film Grizzly Man, this memoir recounts Treadwell's experiences living in close contact with grizzlies.
  
• The Lost Grizzlies : a search for survivors in the wilderness of Colorado, by Rick Bass - Doug and Rick Bass search for evidence of surviving grizzlies in the San Juan mountains.
• Other books by Doug Peacock: The Essential Grizzly:the mingled fates of men and bears and Walking It Off: a veteran's chronicle of war and wilderness

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Sunday, October 5, 6pm, Saddlehorn Tower/Bigfork
Doug will be discussing the mingled fates of humans and grizzlies in Montana.

Monday, October 6, 6pm, KM Theatre/Kalispell
Grizzly Man film and discussion, led by Doug

A complete listing of Big Read events is available here. For more information, call 758-5815.