(ISBN 978-0-3808-0560-0)Well this is the kind of person we find in Touching Spirit Bear. Cole Matthews, the main character, is an angry 15-year old, and one day he beats a fellow student so severely that the poor boy is taken to the hospital. While Cole is usually able to get away with light punishment, this time he is in really big trouble. Under threat of going to juvenile hall, he agrees to abide by the judges' ruling that he participate in a Native American ritual known as Circle Justice.
It is decided that what Cole needs is some time of self examination, safely away from other people but not locked away, so he is taken to a remote island off the coast of Alaska, hoping that he will be able to deal with his anger issues; that his experience on the island will lead him to change his destructive behavior.
Cole, however, only agreed to do this so he would not be put in jail, so as soon as he is left alone he burns down his shelter and tries to think of a way to escape from the island. As he wanders about he comes across a huge bear, and because he is so angry (as well as misinformed about bears!), he foolishly attempts to kill the bear; he is, after all, angry at everything!
What do you think happens? Well he grabs the bear by the neck and strangles it to death. Oh wait, that is not actually what happens...
No, the bear is not at all intimidated by Cole, and Cole discovers that it is one thing to beat up fellow students at school and quite another matter to take on a humongous bear with no weapons. Unsurprisingly (except, maybe, to Cole), the bear easily stops him and mauls him, almost killing him.
As he lies there near death, Cole realizes that he does not want to die. He wants to live. But is this desire to live motivated by selfishness or does his experience actually reshape him? Does this awareness of how precious life is make him a better person? The best way to find out is by reading this book! ;-)
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