Primal Fear

In John Vaillent's book The Tiger, the book opens as a hunter,deep in the cold forest of Siberia, is walking home in the dark. Then the tiger comes, and very little is left of the hunter! Was the attack unprovoked? It turns out that tigers have a very long memory and will track down and try to kill people who have wronged them(stealing their kill,shooting at them,etc) This well written non-fiction book explores the area where China and Russia meet, the stronghold of the Amur tiger. These tigers have lived with the native peoples in the forest for millenia, but now are endangered. Politics,economic policies and immigration patterns have all affected this area and the traditional way of life. The politics and geography are interesting,but the writing about the tiger,riveting! A fine read for a cold night. ML

All Good Things Come to Those Who Shoot Straight

It's deer season unlike any other, eh!

Ruban Soady is cursed. Unlike his famously outdoors-y relatives before him, he's never gotten a buck. But this year could be different. This year at deer camp mysterious things happen: Strange lights appear in the sky (UFOs?), the Euchre cards change face, the camp's supply of homemade sweet sap whisky turns to maple syrup, and the DNR stops for more than just a casual visit. Terrifying! Strangest of all, this might be the year Ruban finally gets his buck!

Adapted from a play written by Jeff Daniels, Escanaba in da Moonlight has become a (deer) seasonal favorite--especially among Michigan natives. But you don't have to be a deer hunter to appreciate this feel-good comedy about believing in your dreams and making them come true. --AJL

Man's Best Friends

The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them by Wayne Pacelle is a must-read for animal lovers and advocates. Pacelle is the president of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and brings his wealth of experience dealing with animal rights issues to this engaging read. Through the book, Pacelle describes the innate kinship we have with animals, how that bond has been broken, and what we can do to reconnect. In a few especially gripping sections he details his jailhouse interview with Michael Vick, the bison hunt nipping at the borders of Yellowstone National Park, and the selfless acts of compassion and love shown by volunteers to the animal victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Bond is a truly thought-provoking look into how we as a society interact with the creatures around us, and the sometimes steep price of that relationship.

For more info, check out Wayne Pacelle at the Detroit Zoo on Saturday, August 6th. HM

da Buck Stops Here

Escanaba in da Moonlight is an hilarious film that celebrates one of Michigan's three seasons: Winter, Construction, and Hunting.

At the age of 43, Ruben Soady is dangerously close to being the oldest member of his family to never hang a buck on da buck pole. That status may be fine for the average Troll (someone who lives south of the Mackinaw Bridge) coming to the Upper Peninsula on an annual hunting pilgrimage, but for a Soady... Well, it's enough to bring the highest level of shame to Ruben and his family. No longer content to endure being called "Buckless Yooper" by friends and neighbors, Ruben is determined that this year will be different. In a last-ditch effort to change his luck for the better, Ruben convinces his fellow hunting buddies to participate in an ancient Native American ritual guaranteed to draw every buck in the state to the front door of their rustic backwoods cabin. What happens instead is a series of strange, terrifying, and unexplainable events, including: An exploding Chevy, UFO sightings, haunted Euchre cards, and a surprise visit from the most dreaded of dreadful visitors, a DNR officer. Will this night before Opening Day ever end? And, when the sun finally rises, will Ruben be prepared to face the inevitable?

Written by and starring Jeff Daniels and featuring Harve Presnell, Joey Albright, Wayne David Parker, and Randall Godwin, Escanaba in da Moonlight is a regional comedy that can be enjoyed by both "Yoopers" and "Trolls", deer hunters and their "widows".

Rated: PG-13 for some crude humor.