Review: The Tiger by John Vaillant
Title: The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival
Author: Vaillant, John
Length: 329 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction, Environmental, Politics, History
Publisher / Year: Alfred A. Knopf/ 2010
Release Date: August 24th, 2010
Source: My local Indigo store
Rating: 4/5
Why I Read It: I’d seen some great tweets about it from others with review copies.
Date Read: 04/09/10
I had heard some great things about this book via tweets from others with review copies and so I was considering picking up a copy at some point. While at my local Indigo store on the night of the 23rd for the Mockingjay release party I inquired if I could buy this book at midnight too. The employee I asked wasn’t sure where it would be behind the boxes of Mockingjay books but said they would take a look… she came back with their advance reading copy that their manager had just finished with and offered it to me instead! (My sister worked there and they knew I review online.) I don’t know when I’ve last been so excited to receive a book, and it was definitely a sign of incredible service. So thank you to my local Indigo store, I will certainly be buying lots more there (but not until October, of course!).
I wasn’t sure what to expect from The Tiger – I knew only that it was a book about a man-eating tiger, which sounded awful exciting. The Tiger is definitely that, but it is also much, much more. The amount of research that must have gone in to this book is truly incredible and hard to believe. The blurb says:
It’s December 1997 and a man-eating tiger is on the prowl outside a small Siberian village. The tiger isn’t just killing people, it’s annihilating them, and a team of men and their dogs must hunt it on foot through the forest in the brutal cold. Along the way, it emerges that the tiger is engaged in a deliberate vendetta, and the story becomes a triangle between the main characters: Vladimir Markov, a poacher; Yuri Trush, the lead tracker; and the tiger itself. This is a gripping tale of man and nature that leads inexorably to a final showdown in a clearing deep in the taiga.
Man oh man this was an EXCITING book! There was just so much going on. Not only was it the story of this man-eating tiger and all of the players involved (various government agencies and the men that played a role, the trappers and poachers in the woods, members of the community) but it was also the history of the area including economic and political, history of Russia as a whole, the conservation and environmental issues and concerns in that area, the history and conservation of tigers throughout the world, and the evolution of humans and tigers through time. Quite a list right?
In the epilogue it says:
As of 2008, there were an estimated four hundred and fifty tigers living in Primorye, southern Khabarovsk Territory, and their adjacent border regions – down from a postwar high of roughly five hundred in the late 1980s. (By comparison, the state of Texas, a place that has no natural history of tigers, has more than two thousand of them living in various forms of captivity.) This may sound like a lot of tigers, but it is nothing compared to what the wild population was a hundred years ago. At the beginning of the last century, it is estimated that there were more than 75,000 tigers living in Asia. (page 296)
Aren’t those some crazy numbers? It was sad to hear how few tigers are left and how close to extinction they really are – especially the Amur tigers in question. Vaillant spent a lot of time talking about the evolution of humans and tigers through history and how similar we really are. We both have very varied diets, are very smart, and like to be in control. All of these factors mean we are often fighting against each other.
Also, I learned a lot of interesting facts about tigers. Never, ever try to injure or kill a tiger. If you fail, it will track you down and go after you. Scary stuff I tell you. Or at least, many think and have proven that fact. Others disagree. Either way, it’s a chance that I certainly don’t want to take! Tigers have apparently, in fact, been known to climb trees and try to swat at helicopters if they are being shot from a helicopter. I told you it was an exciting book!
The book is heavy by times as it is full of a lot of history, politics, ecology, and more, but it was still a great read that I recommend to any one who likes these topics.
I always love books that mix fiction with facts. One learns a lot from them. This reminds me of a movie I watched about two male lions which hunted down a whole village. They outwitted every trap set. And it was also based on a true story.
No fiction in this one Nana, sorry
It’s all facts. But interesting facts! That movie sounds really good, I must check it out!
I may have to, at some point in the future, borrow this one.
Sure thing Colleen! In October right? hehe
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed this! I have a review copy of it to read, and it keeps catching my eye. I’ll definitely get on to it now
Ooohhh I hope you really like it too Steph! Might take more than a single sitting, but well worth it, in my opinion!
I’m SO GLAD this book lived up to the hype. I’ve been really excited about getting a copy and now I seriously CAN.NOT.WAIT to get my hands on it!
Heather J – I hope you really like it!!!
I just got this one in the mail the other day, and I am so super psyched about getting the chance to read it! It sounds fascinating and like something that I am going to love! I am so glad that you loved it too and that you had such a good reaction to it!! Wonderful review, Amy!!
Oh yeah zibilee! I’m glad you have a copy, and I really hope that you love it! It was a slower read than I am used to, but so good.
Tigers are so cool! Admittedly I am biased because my alma mater’s mascot is a tiger, but I think I would find them interesting anyway. And your tip about not trying to hurt a tiger is good to know, and I will bear it in mind, though I think I would probably not have tried in the first place. Tigers are much bigger than me. :p
Heh, that is a valid bias I think Jenny! Growing up I always wished I could have a pet tiger. lol. And yeah, pretty sure trying to hurt or kill a tiger is not something I would have ever considered either. They are just a little too big and scary. Well, and I wouldn’t even if they were small, but you get what I’m saying
I read a book about tigers last year (in the Sunderbans, where Indian & Bangladesh meet): Spell of the Tiger by Sy Montgomery. I loooved it, so now I’m curious about this one!
Also, that’s the best bookstore ever.
I have added it to my wish list Eva, it sounds great! (Thanks for sending me the link to your review on Twitter, btw!!) And yes, I heart my bookstore. Funny thing is that it is the big box chain store that always treats me good like that – my sister has shared my site with them too. My independent bookstore isn’t so interested in anything here (I offered them review copies after BEA).
I read about this the other day ,it sounds like a great book ,one I may get if I see it cheap or in charity shop ,I always feel I should read A little more non fiction than I do ,all the best stu
I just love non-fiction Stu, so I’m always behind other people reading more too
I hope you do find a copy cheap at some point.
I love tigers (and all the big cats, really), but I haven’t read much about them, aside from David Quammen’s wonderful Monster of God, which is actually about several different predatory animals. I was curious about this book after catching the last bit of an NPR story, so I’m glad to hear it was a good read for you. I’m adding it to the someday list!
I love every kind of cat Teresa, tigers especially! Monster of God sounds wonderful and is being added to my wish list now. And yes, this is definitely worth an add to a someday list, in my opinion
I have wanted to read Vaillant’s book The Golden Spruce for a little while, but I heard an NPR interview of him for The Tiger and now I want to read that book more. Glad to hear that it’s a good one!
Ohh I just looked up The Golden Spruce and it sounds really good too. Plus, set in Canada which is fun. I’m adding it to my wish list now
Thank you Christy!
This one sounds fascinating! I do love big cats. And now you have me quite intrigued. I see another book being added to my wish list!
I love big cats too Michelle. Actually, I love all cats! I’m glad I’ve intrigued you
Hmmm. I don’t much like animal books, but this one does sound fascinating. Maybe.
It’s not so much an animal book, Sherry, as a book about the history of a region. He uses the story of this man-eating tiger to talk about how humans and tigers have evolved together to remain in competition, how development in Asia has effected tiger habitats, and how the Russian politics and development have affected the people in this area of the world to put them in a position of having to live off the land and how some end up turning to poaching. It was more a look at politics and economics, through this story.
I just read an interview w/ the author on NPR this week. It does sound like a fascinating book. Thanks for your review.
I will have to go check out that interview debd! It was such a great book.
I’ve wanted to read this one for the longest time, it’s sounds amazing – thanks for the rave review
Thank you LR – I hope you like it when you get a chance to read it!
I must pick up my ARC of this. I really didn’t know much about it until a couple of well-timed tweets (including yourself) and mention of it an an event hosted by the publishers brought it to my attention and I realised I had received it a few months previously without processing what it was about (d’oh – the title kinda gives it away!) Have you heard that Brad Pitt has apparently been cast in the big-screen adaptation?
The near-extinction of tigers terrifies me. As a cat lover that extends to big cats and tigers are one of the most stunning of creatures walking the land. I saw one in captivity last month and it broke my heart that they are almost gone … even penned in he had a power, presence and command that was daunting (and, like his domestic brothers and sisters, a mischievous aloofness that manipulates).
Really Claire?? I had no idea there was a movie adaptation in the works! I must go look this up now
And yes, it is so sad. I’ve been to many zoos and it was great to see the animals in real life… but it is so sad seeing them all in captivity like that. Especially the cats. I just love big cats, and you are right, they still have so much power and command. And mischievousness! I really hope we can save them and keep them from extinction.
I have seen this book mentioned quite a lot lately and I am dying to get my hands on it! Ever since I read Life of Pi and fell in love with Richard Parker I have been tiger-obsessed! I have about 15 stuffed tigers (I’m 38, I should know better!
) and I sponsor an adopted tiger in Asia too.
I really want to read this but will it upset me? I know it’s important to know what goes on but will it ultimately make me feel satisfied or heart-broken? (
Oh yes, Richard Parker was wonderful wasn’t he! How neat that you sponsor a tiger, I didn’t realize you could do that! I don’t think it would upset you too much – they do talk about poaching, but hearing about the tigers fighting back is just too awesome.
Ooh, this one does sound good. I read a book once about a guy who hunted man-eating tigers and it was very interesting.
Ooohhh that sounds fun Jeane! Do you remember the title? I’d love to read it, I think
Yes, it’s called Man-Eaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett and I reviewed it here. He’s written other books about his experiences with tigers, but this is the only one I’ve found.
Thank you so much for the link Jeane – I am off to check that out!
CAN.NOT.WAIT to read this book.
Heh, I hope it is as good as you expect it to be Heather J!!
Thanks for letting me know about your review, Amy — I’ve linked to it on my author event write-up (can wait to ‘sink my teeth into THE TIGER’)
Thank you so much Dawn! And I can’t wait to hear what you think of it