Advance Praise for Bears on Bears
“Ron Suresha has done his homework — he captures the often contradictory mosaic of bear feelings, thoughts, good humor, and warmth of pre-, post- and mega-bears, of various ages, genders, ethnicities, and nationalities. His writing and interview techniques are highly readable, affable, and very insightful, and his collection of interviews weaves a brilliant tapestry of bear culture today. A must read!” —Les K. Wright, PhD, editor of The Bear Book and The Bear Book II, director of the Bear History Project, and curator of Bear Icons & Beyond
“Ron Suresha knows the Bear community from the inside out. Bears on Bears is the best book on Bears that I have read. Intelligent and amusing, it was a pleasure to read.” — Chris Nelson, author of The Bear Cult, cofounder of Bear magazine
Rave Reviews for Bears on Bears“The invaluable book [on bears].” — Andrew Sullivan, Salon.com Read the entire article here.
“I wasn’t expecting Bears on Bears to touch me on such a deep level. . . . My personal connection to bears never occurred to me until I read this book. In fact, I think it should be required reading for anyone interested in gender studies because it’s about bears, and then it is about so much more than bears.” — Tristan Taormino, Village Voice Read the entire article here.
“If anyone can claim to be a bear authority, it has to be Ron Jackson Suresha. . . . The subjects of Suresha’s “interviews and discussions” are a virtual Who’s Who of Bear culture. . . . Though they don’t seem to agree on who or what a Bear is, they come up with comments and ideas that are often interesting, sometimes infuriating, and occasionally earth-shattering. ” — Jesse Monteagudo, Gay Today Read the entire review here.
“Ambitious, entertaining, and often insightful . . . [its] give-and-take makes the book accessible, even inviting, for bears and non-bears alike.” — Kevin Riordan, Philadelphia Gay News
“A rich ethnographic forum . . . Bears on Bears is an extremely thorough primer on the Bear movement. . . . Suresha has done an excellent job of cultivating, organizing, and annotating these discussions. Bear aficionados will find it indispensable. — Brøn Thorson, X Factor [Phoenix, AZ]
“A fascinating collection of confessions, opinions and attitudes. . . . will make you laugh, cry, cringe with guilt and pain, and generally feel astounded by what you didn’t know about these gentle giants. ” — Hal Campbell, We the People [Santa Rosa, CA]
“The quintessential book on Beardom, both for the uninitiated and for those who fancy themselves bear experts. Bears on Bears will open eyes to a diverse world, within a diverse world, that is full of history and change.” – Ken Gies, MidwestTimes.com
“One of My Favorite Books of 2002, Bears on Bears . . . was easily the most joyous book I read last year. It also generated the most reader response. . . . This collection . . .revealed that these gentle giants come in as many varieties as their wildlife counterparts.” — Hal Campbell, We The People [Santa Rosa, CA]
“A diverse collection of interviews with bears and their admirers on hot-button issues within bear culture. . . . Bears on Bears celebrates the individuals involved . . . through its candid discussions with bears from all walks of life.” — Mekado Murphy, Dallas Voice
“Lively . . . These interviews, although thought-provoking, are never dull or boring. . . . Definitely worth a read.” — Dirk Kriete, Scotsgay
“In no way just another dull, scholarly tome, it’s a series of lively interviews . . . an easy, entertaining read. . . . Anyone who’s a bear, into bear culture, or not a bear but loves their bear men, ought to find this book a must-read. But anyone with an interest in the gay subculture in general will come away with a heightened sense of awareness about our community’s amazing diversity.” — Arthur Scuttle, The Letter [Louisville, KY]
“A fascinating collection . . . insightful, often hilarious, stimulating, and thought-provoking. Suresha is to be commended . . . As interesting to non-Bears as it is to Bears.” — Geoff Parkes, “Logged Off” [Australia]
“These interviews, from a diverse cross-section of men, leave a variety of impressions, like so many different-sized paw-prints, across the reader’s heart.” — Tony Peregrin, Windy City Times [Chicago]
“The encyclopaedia of bears.” — Laurence P. Byrne, GCN [Dublin, Ireland]
