From Kirkus Reviews

A noted wildlife biologist ponders what it means to be human in a time when the natural world is disappearing.

"I don't claim to know how grizzly bears think. But this seldom stops me from trying to imagine what the bear I have in sight is going to do in a given situation and then compare that with what the bear actually does." So writes Chadwick, who has spent many hours in the company of bears, which are cumbersomely large in captivity but generally lean, and very fast, in the wild. Somewhat in the vein of previous environmental writers, Rachel Carson and Loren Eiseley in particular, Chadwick has a big-picture view of nature, recounting his childhood days spent with a microscope, "his magical gadget," which afforded him the knowledge that most organisms on the planet can't be seen but must be appreciated. In his subsequent explorations of DNA, he connects us to our genetic antecedents--grizzly bears and apes, to be sure, but also "avocados, ants, and aardvarks," which comprise "our deep heritage, an old, enduring kinship as big as the living world." That shared ancestry ought to inspire us to be better citizens of the planet. Yet, "according to a 2018 summary in the Journal of Mammalogy, the exact species count for present-day mammals came to 6,495. However, 96 appear to have gone missing (extinct) lately." Regarding many nonhuman species in the Anthropocene, "the chances of survival through the rest of this century range from poor to zilch." Engagingly written and richly illustrated with vivid photos, the book offers the hope nonetheless that humans might reverse course. To this end, the author offers examples of successful recoveries of species and habitats, with the thought that "we really can save a whole lot in a hurry."

Of great appeal to natural scientists and environmentalists alike.

From Foreword Reviews

Everything is connected, says wildlife journalist Douglas Chadwick in Four Fifths a Grizzly. From the minuscule to the large scale, the book explores how knowledge of these connections can help us to reverse the land degradation and species decline that result from human interventions in the wild.

95% of Earth's biomass is comprised of humans and their livestock, and Chadwick says that paying attention is a good way to begin when it comes to redressing the species imbalance. As a child, he was fascinated by microscopy. Now, in his spare time, he watches grizzlies. Learning that humans share 80-90% of their genes with the bears, which only thrive in wilderness, convinced him of the interdependence of creatures and habitats. He highlights such symbiotic bonds with examples, as of bacterial species, who populate the human gut and aid in digestion.

Any realistic look at the state of the planet must be depressing, right? Wrong. Chadwick lightens the tone by focusing on conservation success stories, such as island populations that were restored by eradicating invasive species, and the joined-up landscape achieved by the Yukon to Yellowstone project. "Being one with nature sounds like an aspiration. It really isn't, because we already are," Chadwick concludes. Drawing on memories, stories, and rich visuals, Four Fifths a Grizzly reinforces humanity's fundamental relationship with, and reliance on, nature.