Barrie Gilbert, FriesenPress, 264 pages, 2019. $20.99 ’One of Us: A Biologist’s Walk Among Bears, ’ by Barrie Gilbert Barrie Gilbert was researching grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park in 1977 when he was attacked, badly mauled and permanently disfigured on a high ridge by a sow that was likely protecting her cubs. It seems reasonable that after such an event even the most dedicated biologist would turn his attention to something a bit less capable of causing harm. Goldfish perhaps. But Gilbert instead redoubled his efforts to understand these animals that we as humans both fear and revere. We can be thankful he did, and also thankful that he wrote about it. Gilbert’s nearly fatal mauling provides the opening scene for “One of Us,” his memoir of his decades conducting field studies of grizzlies, primarily at Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park. It’s a gripping moment, but one he only devotes a few pages to. His primary objective is to talk bears, and that’s what he does through 240 pages of personal observations, hard science clearly explained and speculations on the causes of bear behavior that he considers worthy of deeper study.