Editorial Review:
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Since receiving the Pulitzer Prize in 1969 for his first novel, House Made of Dawn, N. Scott Momaday has had one of the most remarkable careers in twentieth-century American letters. Here, in In the Bear's House, Momaday passionately explores themes of loneliness, sacredness and aggression through his depiction of Bear, the one animal that has both inspired and haunted him throughout his lifetime.
Winner of the Oaklahoma Book Award for Poetry, In the Bear's House celebrates Momaday's extraordinary creative vision and evolution as one of our most gifted artists with transcendent dignity and gentleness.
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Reader Reviews for In the Bear's House:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: In the Wilderness
Comment: Momaday's IN THE BEAR'S HOUSE is made up of a dramatic dialogue, some poetry and some prose passages. The book itself is made unique and beautiful by Momaday's inclusion of some of his own paintings and illustrations--all variations of Bear--the elusive wilderness, which Momaday describes in his thoughtful "Introduction" and in his later poetry. The cover's title, presumably a reproduction of Momaday's handwriting, is clearly designed to convey a sense of intimacy. Still, while the writing collection reflects Momaday's unique spiritual explorations, the collection can be taken, too, as an invitation for each reader to begin a personal dialogue with the wilderness on the premise that doing so can be universally good and fruitful. Momaday suggests, I think, that anyone can experience the spirit of the wilderness by cultivating the proper vision--as defined by the wilderness itself. I recommend this particular collection and, as always, the general beauty of Momaday's personal, timeless perspectives.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful Book of Mostly Great Content
Comment: N. Scott Momaday's *In the Bear's House* is an interesting mix of Momaday paintings, poetry, prose, and dialogues. N. Scott Momaday's bear paintings that adorn this book throughout are worth the price of admission on this book alone. From simple single color outlines to rich, colorful interpretations, the artwork will bring you back to this book over and over again. The poetry and prose about bears and their representation of wilderness and all things wild is simple, elegant, and expressive.
What I didn't care much for and why I give only 4 stars as a rating is the dialogues that dominate the first half of the book. These dialogues are between Bear and God, and frankly I found them a bit tedious and pointless. I was hoping for a much more meaningful exploration of God and his/her/its role in the world - specifically the wilderness. Instead, these conversations with God seem to meander into a wilderness of their own, getting lost along the way.
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A Guide to my Book Rating System:
1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking work of beauty
Comment: This book presents Momaday's work--new and old--concerned with Bear and the idea of wilderness. It offers poetry, drama, and painting all centered on Bear as a representation of the wilderness. Momaday's idea of the wilderness reflects neither the central strand in American life that comes down from the Puritans, nor the preservationist ideology of urban-bound environmentalists, but his writing critically reflects upon both these traditions. Momaday finds Bear, and hence the wilderness, in a conversation between God and the original bear while eating huckleberries, on a train in Moscow, in the drawing for a bronze statue, and many other such places. Throughout this book, the author's life-long concern for the life of the imagination as our best existence (as he has often said) shows forth. This book is an excellent introduction to the work of a great American writer, as well as a beautiful addition to any collection already well-stocked with Momaday's work.I taught this book as the first in a sequence of five books in a course on Native American poetry. The students loved it. Some of our discussions of the paintings were among the best my classes have had.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Comment: Brilliant, moving, insightful, memorable. Momaday is a treasure, and this is his best yet.
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