Touching Spirit Bear

We have continued reading the book, Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. Cole is an angry teen who has agreed to live on a remote island in Alaska instead of serving time in jail for his crime. Cole thinks he’s taking the easy way out. Little does he know what awaits him on the island.

After an unsuccessful attempt at swimming away from the island, Cole confronts the Spirit Bear, and is badly mauled. As he lies near death, Cole begins to see the beauty in the world for the first time in his life, and chooses to do anything he can in order to survive.

Garvey and Edwin return to the island a couple of days later to find Cole in bad shape, and half dead. They take Cole to the nearby village to get him patched up. No one believes that Cole saw a Spirit Bear. Cole finally realizes that it’s time he stops lying, and promises himself to tell the truth from now on.
After six months of surgeries, and rehab, Cole finally leaves the hospital to return to the detention center. While he’s there, the Justice Circle meets, and is persuaded by Edwin and Garvey to let Cole return to the island under certain conditions. Cole must sell all his belonging to finance his stay on the island.

Cole returns to the island with Edwin and Garvey. Cole learns many lessons from these men as he begins to build his shelter, and prepare for a year- long banishment. Cole no longer has the use of his right arm due to the mauling, and struggles to complete the shelter. His biggest challenge is to overcome the fear of being alone. Edwin teaches Cole that happiness and anger are habits. Cole must learn to “roll away” his anger, which he begins to do as he starts each day soaking in a freezing pond, then climbing a mountain with a huge rock. Edwin teaches Cole how to dance at night by the fire. They dance the whale dance, and later Cole dances the wolf dance.

Each time, Cole reflects on the lessons he has learned.
Cole finds a log, and first begins to make a canoe, then realizes his error, and begins to carve a totem. When we left off on our reading today, Cole has established a daily routine on the island. Cole know that he needs to dance the dance of anger, but he isn’t ready. His biggest challenge is yet to come! Check back next week to find out how Cole finds out what it means to be “invisible.” You won’t believe who comes to stay on the island with Cole!