Guest Review: Bear like me by Jonathan Cohen

Jonathan Cohen
Bear like me
Bear Bones Books, June 2011 [reprint, first published in 2003]

Backblurb:
Fired from his job at Phag magazine, Peter Mallory has to find a way to make a living . . . and get revenge! When his best friend suggests writing a book about the bear community — and using his new ursine look to go undercover at Phag — Peter is soon letting his body hair grow and practicing the fine art of flannel couture. When Peter’s sabotage campaign works only too well, he starts to run the risk of discovery. With an envious fellow bear set to unmask Peter as a fraud, and a relationship with an intriguing bear on the line, things are about to get very hairy!

Genre & Keywords:
Gay, Bear, Journalism, Humor, Fun, Community, Revenge

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2 out of 3 flames
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Guest review by Lis:

Bear like me reminds me of campfire nights – sitting around the campfire with a bunch of knights who never miss the chance of telling a bad joke and where every pun is intended. Other than that this book couldn’t be more different.

Bear like me is a satirical look on the bear community and oh what fun it was to read. This book made me laugh out loud several times as well as slap my forehead in outrage. It’s a humoristic, satirical story that is completely over the top, but so much fun to read. Bear like me is not a book to be take serious at all, but something to read when you want something different, something fun and something outrageous that makes you laugh. Warning though, this book is direct; there is noooooooo subtleness at all!

It’s the story of Peter the journalist, who gets fired from his job as a journalist from a fancy glossy magazine. He wanted more serious, more intellectual stories, but nooooooo none of those at the magazine. Of course, Peter wants revenge but an income as well. So when his friend Mac suggests writing a book about the bear community, the game is on.

Peter undergoes a transformation and lets his body hair go and flannel is the new it as far as fashion goes. The story is divided between Peter’s infiltrating the community, his revenge, and his exploits.

The writing in this story is good, it not only fits the story, but also the character and of course the humor. It’s light and humorous. The author knows just how to keep you hooked (line and sinker) to Peter’s story without overdoing it (too much). Oh and the ending? You’ll have wide eyes and you’ll definitely shake your head!

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I picked up Bear like me. It certainly was nothing like what I got, but I was pleasantly surprised by it, even with how over the top it was. Bear like me is therefore a book I would definitely recommend if you want to take a holiday from books where characters are stalked, abused or have big misunderstandings with partners to be. It’s fun and a well done read!

Book details:
248 pages | Paperback: $15 / eBook: $5.99 | ISBN: 1-59021-196-0 / ISBN-13: 978-1-59021-196-0 | eBook formats: Adobe Acrobat, Palm DOC/iSolo, Microsoft Reader, Mobipocket (.prc), Epub, Kindle

Buy Bear Like Me here

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