A Book & A Beer | J.W. Martin

IN THE VALLEYS OF THE NOBLE BEYOND:
In Search of the Sasquatch
by John Zada

Atlantic Monthly Press
July 2, 2019

From Goodreads:

On the central and north coast of British Columbia, the Great Bear Rainforest is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, containing more organic matter than any other terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. The area plays host to a wide range of species, from thousand-year-old western cedars to humpback whales to iconic white Spirit bears.

According to local residents, another giant is said to live in these woods. For centuries people have reported encounters with the Sasquatch–a species of hairy bipedal man-apes said to inhabit the deepest recesses of this pristine wilderness. Driven by his own childhood obsession with the creatures, John Zada decides to seek out the diverse inhabitants of this rugged and far-flung coast, where nearly everyone has a story to tell, from a scientist who dedicated his life to researching the Sasquatch, to members of the area’s First Nations, to a former grizzly bear hunter-turned-nature tour guide. With each tale, Zada discovers that his search for the Sasquatch is a quest for something infinitely more complex, cutting across questions of human perception, scientific inquiry, indigenous traditions, the environment, and the power and desire of the human imagination to believe in–or reject–something largely unseen.

The good people at Atlantic Monthly Press and NetGalley provided me with a digital ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book.

What I expected was a bunch of stories from people who claimed to have run-ins with Big Foot, as well as the author’s take on these stories, and maybe even some of his own. A first-hand account! Essentially, a bunch of fun campfire stories.

While there was some of that, it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.

There was a lot of information about the areas he travelled to in his quest, and the people he met along the way. A lot about small native communities that were being impoverished by modern business practices, pollution, and inflation.

We spent some time with a man named John Willison Green, who devoted his life to trying to prove the existence of the Sasquatch. And while that might seem like a life wasted to some, I couldn’t help to admire his expertise in a field that kind of doesn’t exist. I was also deeply saddened to read about his his biggest fear of fading away with his contribution unrecognized and never actually making a mark in history.

A in-depth look at the efforts of one community that lessened bear hunting in their area by obtaining exclusive rights to lead the hunts and taking people in all the wrong areas. “Sorry folks. I guess we’re just not having any luck today…” Ha ha ha.

Many, many interesting side-notes that I didn’t expect, but still enjoyed. Some of the other tangents weren’t as interesting and seemed even less relevant to the core subject on a book like this.

Even with all the other interesting aspects, I wish there was more Big Foot talk. More about the searches. More eye-witness accounts and more in-depth into those account. A few of the stories got really creepy and just when you were getting into them, it was over. I wanted MORE!

I was also very disappointed that the author didn’t have his own encounter. I can’t fault him or the book for that. It’s not exactly within anyone’s control, but it was still a let down.

Fun fact about this post: I’ve had a story in mind for years that involves Big Foot, and if I ever get around to writing it, one of the main characters will be named in honour of John Greene.