The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vailant

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a nonfiction book. I’ve read a couple nonfiction graphic novels, but not a full-length piece of writing. My routine before I started blogging was reading one fiction followed by a nonfiction book. Like my students like to say, ‘I like to read about things that are real!’ Ha! So, my first read on vacation is a book that I’ve been waiting to read for a long time and it didn’t disappoint!

Solitary predators are hard to find in nature in the 21st century. There are only a couple places in the world where one can find these animals and feel the age-old connection between hunter and prey. Vailant takes his reader to the Eastern reaches of Siberia in the late 1990s. A tiger attack in a small village brings a local hunting group specializing in tracking and killing nuisance animals, ones that may need human flesh to satisfy their needs.

The author cuts the narrative of the hunt with chapters describing the culture and history of the eastern Russia people. There are several players in the politics of the region and within the organizations that play a pivotal part in finding this beast.

I highly recommend this one to anyone looking for a nonfiction thriller. It had me from the start!