The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival

 by John Vaillant

  This was a very interesting book, not exactly what I expected when I started reading it. I was thinking it was more action packed but mostly it was the history of the area and of the tiger. As a result it took me a long time to read but it was very engrossing and well worth the time. I did learn an awful lot about the region, Far East Russia, enough to be very glad I am and hopefully always will be a California native! The Amur Tiger is the awesome creature at the books center, reading this book you fully realize how our zoo's and Las Vegas shows keep some of us truly ignorant of the tigers power. The men in this book have no such ignorance, they're whole life in the rugged terrain of their homeland is challenge after challenge, a fight just to be around to feed their families. When a man is devoured by an Amur Tiger, Operation Tiger, lead by a man named Trush, is sent to find and kill the culprit. They have the challenge of their own people who are angry when a second man is killed by the tiger. The challenge of snow that can very well be the death of them, and a tiger filled with anger and self preservation, and who can kill them in a split second. What an awesome scene near the end of the book, I literally walked the treadmill I was on into pause mode since I could only move in slow motion as I read it. Such a powerful book and surprisingly educational, as well.