{"product_id":"staying-alive-in-bear-country-9781685137724","title":"Staying Alive in Bear Country","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSometimes the greatest adventure is simply refusing to surrender your wonder.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt twenty-one, Old Joe Grady makes an unconventional life choice-he will \"stay alive until he dies\"-not just surviving, but maintaining wonder, curiosity, and authentic engagement with every day he's given. In his decades-spanning journey through the American South and beyond, Joe deliberately chooses challenging, unfamiliar experiences over the comfortable routines that deaden the spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom a legendary encounter with a black bear in the Great Smoky Mountains to corporate battles against dehumanization, from saving a wild river to confronting his family's slave-owning past, Joe's quest takes him through the changing landscape of American life. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlong the way, he forms deep friendships with fellow seekers-a Korean War veteran struggling with trauma, a woman running an underground network of dignity and resistance, and a childhood sweetheart with whom he finds unexpected love in his seventies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith humor, heart, and unflinching honesty, \u003cem\u003eStaying Alive in Bear Country\u003c\/em\u003e examines friendship, love, mortality, and the courage required to stay truly alive in an often challenging world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Black Rose Writing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/30\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781685137724\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 230\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.69lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.52d","brand":"Peter Crow","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52934224707765,"sku":"9781685137724","price":16.11,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/staying-alive-in-bear-country-9781685137724","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}