How to Survive A Bear Attack

On reading a friend's memoir.

If you’re in New Orleans on March 22, I’m hosting Kristen Arnett and Isaac Fitzgerald in conversation at BJ’s Lounge from 4-6 in honor of Kristen’s new, acclaimed novel, Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One. (RSVP, free.) Directly preceding it, there’s a block party to support the Louisiana Abortion Fund at Parleaux Brewery from 12-4. It’s going to be a good Saturday in the Bywater.

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Hi friends.

I’ve been having a unique reading experience lately.

I finally got my hands on the galley of my dear friend Claire’s forthcoming memoir How to Survive A Bear Attack. I already knew the story of it—her battle with cancer alongside her deep fascination and investigation of a historic bear attack in the Canadian Wilderness. I had even read a draft of it a long time ago, although this final version is tighter, and more vivid in its emotion. So there are no surprises coming my way and yet I freshly appreciated the wit in it and found myself gasping anew with certain moments. And also I found myself feeling so incredibly protective of Claire.

I can only read it in short bursts. Slowly, because I want it to last, and because I can only read this final version of it once for the first time. I wanted to track my thoughts on it. But also I’m finding there’s only so much of this kind of feeling about someone I love I can manage at a time.

I told her a few days ago it makes my heart feel like it’s going to burst, but in a good way. And that it makes me worry about her.

Don’t get me wrong, the book is fantastic, and I am excited to be reading it. It’s impeccably written and thoroughly researched. Like it’s air fucking tight. Yet it’s also so, so vulnerable, which is a hard thing to do on the page and still retain clarity and dignity and control. I also think she’s doing really interesting things with the memoir form, allowing herself to assume different animal perspectives, for example. But it is still hard not to give into feeling scared for my friend Claire at certain moments.

Have you ever had this experience of reading a friend’s writing and enjoying it but also having extreme feelings? I suspect Claire will be getting a lot of response to this book. I feel lucky to have read it. And I can’t even tell you how glad I am she is still around for me to tell her how I felt about it all.

I’m wondering what memoirs you’ve read lately—or ever—that have moved you deeply. I’m leaving the comments open to everyone to share.

Wherever you are, however you are, I hope you’re staying steady.

Jami

You are reading Craft Talk, the home of #1000wordsofsummer and also a weekly newsletter about writing from Jami Attenberg. I’m also on bluesky and instagram.