Ben Mikaelson's young adult novel Touching
Spirit Bear tells the story of an angry and troubled young man named Cole. At
the age of fifteen, Cole is in enough trouble with the law that he only has one official
option--prison. Two men recognize something of themselves in the young man and take the
responsibility for him.
Cole is given a chance to be part
of something called Circle Justice, and though Cole thinks the whole idea is nonsense,
he figures it is better than prison. He finds himself on an island with nothing but a
few supplies and plenty of time to think. The mystical spirit bear is real, and it visit
Cole two times. The first time, Cole is lucky to escape with his life, as he goaded the
bear into attacking him. What Cole eventually discovers through his encounter with the
spirit bear is that people often do hurtful and awful things out of fear. That
realization finally brings him peace and forgiveness.
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