The Best Stories You've nEver Read -- First In A Series

From time to time, I'll post links to gripping stories here that are meaningful and relevant to our times. Today I recommend Thomas Curwen's: "Attacked by a grizzly" printed April 29 and 30 in the Los Angeles Times. It's the story of Johan Otter and his daughter, Jenna, who were mauled by a 400-pound grizzly and lived to tell the tale. They did so many times to the media in the immediate aftermath, but those renderings were superficial. After some time passed, Curwen went back to the story and got inside Otter's mind in a way that you will find compelling. 

I found this story through my association with Writer-L, a listserv for non-fiction writers. It is also posted in the Nieman Narrative Digest, along with some other great examples of narrative journalism.