The Tiger | John Vaillant

episode SUMMARY:

In this episode of the Books for Men podcast, host Douglas Vigliotti discusses the non-fiction book The Tiger by John Vaillant. The book is a narrative non-fiction about a man investigating a murder that was caused by a killer tiger attack in the Primorye region of Russia. Vigliotti praises the book for its superb journalism and the extensive research done by the author, as well as its ability to provide suspense and entertainment. He highlights the interesting aspects of the book, such as learning about tigers and the history of the region. Vigliotti also mentions a chilling section in the book where a man recounts his experience of being attacked by a tiger. He concludes by encouraging listeners to continue supporting the podcast and visit the website for more information.

Listen to the episode:

*Subscribe to The Books for Men Newsletter, a monthly round-up of the episodes w/ links, full book and author info, all the best quotes, and newsletter-only book recommendations!

READ THE TRANSCRIPT:

Welcome back to Books for Men, a podcast to inspire more men to read and bring together men who do. And I'm excited to bring to you episode number two, and I am going to pivot into a non-fiction book this week. But before I share the book, I did want to thank everybody who has supported the podcast and the initiative so far, the first episode and the trailer has been received very, very well, and I'm very, very happy and excited about that. I would love for you to continue to spread the word and share the podcast and share the initiative with friends, family, especially men who read. But I have mentioned before, ladies are always welcome. This is not an exclusionary podcast. With that being said, let's jump right into episode number two, which is The Tiger by John Vaillant. The book is distinctly different than the book featured in episode one for obviously one isn't fiction, one is non-fiction, but this is narrative and narrative.

(01:24)

Non-fiction sort of has some elements of a fiction book, right, because it's largely descriptive and largely creative as opposed to informative, which you would get in more, let's say a big idea or a biography, something of that nature. But I don't want to spend too much time on the evaluation of the type of book. Let's just talk about some of the nuts and bolts because I do think that this is a great book and it's considered a great book by many for a good reason. And you may be wondering what the deal with the Tiger is, the title. And so it's a narrative non-fiction book about a man investigating another man's murder via a killer tiger attack. And it takes place in Primorye, which is a region of Russia and covered in what's known as the taiga, which is a land biome that basically ranges from freezing cold forest to more temperate climates in the southern regions.

(02:36)

But this book takes place in the Far East portion of Russia, kind of on the border of China, and it's a frozen forest essentially. So that picture that you have in your mind of a log cabin in the forest with icicles hanging from tree branches and smoke coming from a chimney, that freezing cold, very, very bitter atmosphere. That's where this book takes place. And so you're probably wondering at this point, why is this man investigating a murder? Why is there a killer tiger? So in short, tiger poaching is a big thing or was a big thing in this region because of the drug-like trade of the tiger parts throughout the world essentially. And so the Russian government created an agency called In Inspection Tiger, and that was designed to stymie the poaching, right? And so Yuri Trush is a man who works for Inspection Tiger, and he was called on to go investigate the death of another man, Vladimir Markoff, who has been living in Primorye for quite some time in the tiger trade business, so to speak.

(03:57)

And so I think one of the things that most readily stands out about this book is how unbelievable the journalism is and how admirable this book actually is mean. So the execution is one thing. I mean, it's suspenseful, it's got a lot of energy, but the journalism itself is unbelievable. It's put together from interviews and translations because the author himself doesn't speak Russian and primarily everybody who is involved with this story is Russian speaking. And so he would have to use a translator and translate all of the interviews and all of the Russian media and everything that he used to put this book together. It's just something that is so admirable and so well done into that. I will say it's very, very expansive. It's not just about the hunt for this tiger. It's about so much more than that because in order to tell the story properly, to tell it with suspense, and to tell it in detail, you need to understand more about tigers, you need to understand more about this region of Russia.

(05:17)

You need to understand the government and the history of government in Russia and what type of people actually live and exist in this region of Russia and what the history is of the tiger species. Which by the way, to me probably was one of the more interesting parts of the book and you know, are left with the question of who is hunting. That's the most interesting question to play around with as you read this book. I talk a lot about putting yourself in somebody else's shoes. Well, I think one of the interesting things about reading this book is not only being able to put yourself in the shoes of the individuals that are involved in the story in different capacities and the troubles and the predicaments and the juxtaposition that they're placed under based on their circumstances, but you're also able to do the same thing with the tiger.

(06:22)

You learn so much about tigers throughout this book that you really understand what the tiger might be thinking or feeling, or at least you're able to build that story. And the author Vaillant does a great, great job with this. And although the book has limited dialogue, which is always tough for me because I sort of think in dialogue, it feels almost more like a documentary or just a lot of extended exposition, kind of like a National Geographic or something of that nature. It's very, very exciting and it teaches you a lot. And so in that way, it keeps you very, very entertained and you don't really know what's going to happen next. And so I don't want to say it's a cliffhanger because it doesn't have that type of feel to it, but it's definitely engaging. I think that for me, just like I've already mentioned learning about the Amur tiger, which is an extremely versatile predator, I mean able to survive at 50 below or ranging all the way to a hundred degrees Fahrenheit, it essentially can turn any environment into its advantage.

(07:33)

And one of the things that the author is quick to point out is that what tigers usually do and what tigers can do are two different things. And the idea that this tiger has been driven to man-eating and being a killer tiger, so to speak, is so interesting, right? I mean, it's insane. I mean, even talking about it, I'm talking about it and it almost feels flippant in a way, but it's really just insane. It's crazy. I mean, the story itself is highly, highly entertaining. I mean, I would find it very odd if you weren't entertained by this story. Now, maybe getting into the author's voice or the style of how the book is told, that's one thing, but the actual story itself, it's as insane and crazy as a true story actually gets. And I will say that some of my favorite parts are the parts where Trush is doing a reinterpretation of the encounter of Markov and the tiger or what he could potentially be experiencing while he's waiting for this tiger.

(08:46)

And so some of those aspects are really, really chilling. Like he says in the book, “The Tiger will see you a hundred times before you see him once.” That just sends chills up my spine. When I hear it. I think I've shared enough about the book enough to hopefully engage you to read it or at least take a look at it. But it's always a delicate balance and how much I want to share and how much I'm willing to share about the book. I don't think you could ever share too much, especially in a book like this, because there's just so much in it, aside from just the general story or story A, which is the hunt for the tiger and the killer tiger attack. Whether it's learning about Russian leadership or Russian politics and the history of war in the country and the geography or the tigers themselves, there's just a lot to learn and it's very hard to encompass everything, right?

(09:43)

With that being said, it's still a very approachable book and it's only 300 pages, so you're not reading a tomb. It doesn't feel like a tomb in your hands. It's something that you can easily engage with. As always, if you didn't enjoy this book or this book isn't your cup of tea, then please just stick around till next week because I will feature a completely different book in perhaps a completely different genre, one that is just as good, just different. And remember, if you want more information, just visit BooksforMen.org where you can also sign up for the newsletter, which is a monthly roundup of all the books and authors that are featured on this show. So thanks again for listening. Please continue the support. Tell a friend, tell a family member, subscribe, follow all that good stuff, things that will help push the initiative forward. Inspiring more men to read and bringing together men who do.

(10:58)

Did you stick around? Well, similar to episode one, I'm going to reward you with a little extra something. This book is very, very intense and it's very, very gripping. And so in the middle, there is a section where the author describes another individual, Sergei Sokolov, and his experience of being attacked by a tiger. I wanted to read Sokolov’s, recounting of the experience of when the tiger attacked him. “The tiger knocked me down, my left leg was bent and he bit into my knee for an instant. He and I were looking into each other's eyes. His eyes were blazing, his ears were pressed back. I could see his teeth and I thought I saw a surprise in his eyes like he was seeing something he hadn't expected to see. He bit me once, twice. My bones were cracking, crushing. Everything was crackling. He was holding my leg sort of like a dog, shaking his head from side to side, and there was a sound like heavy cloth ripping. I was in excruciating pain, he was eating me, and there was nothing I could do to stop him.

(12:05)

In that moment, Sokolov shifted into a different mode. It was as if the clouds of fear parted to make way for another emotion. I just got mad, said Sokolov. Instinctively, I punched the tiger in the forehead between the eyes, he roared and jumped away and my partner came to help me in the act of coming to his census and tapping that deep and ancient vein of self-preservation that flows through all of us. Sokolov had brought the tiger to its census too. The tiger had no particular issue with Soof. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But for Sokolov, this was just the beginning. As soon as the tiger left, I understood that my bones were crushed and shattered, and my ligaments and tendons were torn apart. And yet, in spite of this pain, solo felt that he was as keen in his heart as it was in his leg. I have spent so much time in the tiger. He said, I love the tiger and I treat it like my home. It is some living creature. I have never violated her law. Never killed anything, which I shouldn't have never cut a tree unless I had to do it. So when I saw that tiger charging me, I felt like I was being betrayed by my own mother.”