Book Review: Touching Spirit Bear
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen is a powerful story of the power of redemption and forgiveness. Cole Matthews is only fifteen years old and heading to jail for beating a classmate, Peter, to the point of brain damage. Cole takes no responsibility for this but instead blames Peter for not fighting back.
To describe Cole as angry at the world is an understatement. The term sociopath better describes this young man. Yet a Native American parole officer takes interest in him and introduces Cole to Circle Justice, a concept of healing instead of punishment. Cole agrees to spend a year banished to a remote island off the coast of Alaska but secretly plots to escape.
Cole is completely unrepentant of his crimes and does not understand the concept of compassion until he is mauled by the mythical Spirit Bear. Lying near death and unable to move, Cole slowly understands the world around him and feels empathy toward a nest of helpless baby birds, feelings he’s never had before.
Rescued, healed, and sent back to the island for one final chance, Cole begins a spiritual journey that teaches him honesty, compassion, and forgiveness. Cole’s final test comes when he must help his victim find forgiveness.
Mikealsen delivers an excellent drama with powerful and sometimes disgusting descriptions. The bear attack is brutal and the days Cole lays on the ground are agonizing to read as he tries to stay alive. Thankfully, these are short scenes. Cole’s meditation on his life and communing with nature make up the bulk of the story. Through the rituals taught by a Tlingit elder Cole dances the Whale Dance, Wolf Dance, and others, each time learning a lesson based on the characteristics of the animal. The Native American spiritualism provides a framework for Cole that has been missing in his life.
Touching Spirit Bear is excellent and appropriate for most young readers. The spiritualism presented is mild and Christians will recognize the truths it contains as well as the omissions. Cole learns to manage his anger but is never given a real hope of being rid of it. While forgiving others and ourselves is vital, true spiritual healing comes only through Jesus and the working of the Holy Spirit. God forgives and washes away all sins. That key ingredient is missing here.
Sounds interesting!
I took a class on Restorative Justice last year. It was very moving to hear the stories of cases and even whole communities where it was successful. Interestingly enough, the two biggest influences on R.J. here in Manitoba are Mennonite Christians and aboriginal people. Their traditional approaches to justice as repentance, reparation and reconciliation have some significant overlaps. I hope that the broader society gradually adopts some of these ideas - we'll always need prisons for some people, but it seems like many others would be much better off going through a restorative program instead. When it's done properly the recidivism rates are pretty low.
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Sounds like the difference betweening training a child and giving them time-outs. A time-out without correction and instruction doesn't change any behavior. We should change our prison system to include real schooling for individuals that will accept it. We also need to change our society to help more people make better choices. I'm not talking handouts or more funding for education (remember?). We've lost a basic understanding of the term "society" when a third of young men end up in prison.
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