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Brothers and friends make life unforgettable.

All who wander are not lost.

Tumbling into trouble but getting out with a laugh and a prayer.

Ordinary guys, extraordinary adventures.

Wisdom usually comes with mishaps and adventures.

About the Book

Brothers, Bears, and Beers

 

Brothers, Bears, and Beers is the rollicking true story of adventures while big-game hunting in Alaska, fishing on remote Canadian lakes, canoeing in Missouri, exploring the Florida Keys, and attending college in the early 1970s. This humorous memoir covers just three years, but what years they were! Think The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Forrest Gump, and A Walk in the Woods, with a few Animal House pranks thrown in.

The story opens in remote Alaska when college buddy Ray accidentally discharges his rifle narrowly missing the author’s ear on the first day of a caribou hunt. From there, the tales grow ever livelier and more surprising. Brothers, Bears, and Beers is a winsome story unlike any other. Join in on the adventures as good friends tumble into trouble but get out on a laugh and a prayer!

Pre-order now:

Proceeds will be donated to 
The Michael J. Fox Foundation
for Parkinson’s Research

Read a snippet from the book

Look Inside

 

But what was this? Ray jumped out after me!

            Ed yelled in surprise and dismay, and lowered the gyrating copter, shouting at Ray to hop back in. Ray grabbed the helicopter skids to enter when an updraft lifted the helicopter – and suddenly Ray was dangling ten feet above the steep slope. The blades chop-chopped and Ed shouted, but I couldn’t hear him above the noise. How could Ray hang on? I had no time to think. I followed below, somehow believing that should Ray fall, I could catch him, or at least arrest his fall.

            I saw Ed kick the front left passenger door open. Ray, one hand holding the skid, reached in with the other to pull himself inside the cabin. But at that moment, what I thought was a cross wind hit the copter, pitching it to the left, flinging Ray entirely out of the cabin, where he grabbed for the skid – and caught it! Once more, he clung only to the skid. The wind blew past my ears as the copter gyrated again. Ed looked as if he were fighting to regain control of the chaotic flight.The copter darted above me, rising, falling, pitching left, pitching right. Somehow, Ray hung on. Should I remain below the contorting copter, or run for my life?

            In the strong wind, now twenty feet off the ground, the helicopter stabilized, and I saw Ed reach out toward Ray, grab a strap of his seismic-station harness and drag him into the cabin. A second later, Ed’s extended hand slammed the door shut.

The Reviews are in…

 

Nathan Aquinaga

“My wife and I could not put down Brothers, Bears, and Beers. What a flashback of our childhood growing up! This book reflects our life experiences in northwest Ohio. We just bought a new camper and Brothers, Bears, and Beers has excited and motivated us to seek new adventures!”

Nathan Aquinaga
Retired Master Sergeant US Army, and five book accomplished author

Michael J. Coffino

"More than a coming-of-age trip down memory lane, Brothers, Bears, and Beers is a poignant (and often funny) reminder of what we cherished as youth and what we should seek to reclaim in our latter years for ourselves and the connections in relationships. Kudos to Mr. Svoboda for his incisively written and entertaining memoir and making sure we never forget the glimmers of life and bonds we once held dear and why."

Michael J. Coffino
award-winning author of Truth Is in the House

Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy

"Joe’s stories are pure gold–a gassing caribou, a seductive waitress bearing a fiery pepper, an epic prank drug bust, and many more. Add his superb wit and deft turn of phrase, and Joe will remind you of outdoor humor writer Patrick McManus and even Mark Twain. Brothers, Bears, and Beers will keep a smile on your face and a laugh in your heart."

Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy
author, Many Hands Make Light Work: A Memoir

Tim Wells

"Brothers, Bears, and Beer" was a fantastic read that gave me a vivid reflection of better times on the American college campus. A time when God, country and hunting were intertwined with college life and expected of young men. Being a hunter, I too will attest to the accurate display of memoirs so well laid out within Joe's book. From pranks to girls to wild game, this story has hit the mark. Joe's humorous experiences, near death close calls and his quest beyond college campus were well written. Each chapter was displayed in such vivid detail that my mind followed along with ease. I was left smiling, laughing even pausing to remember a time of profound importance during my own life's journey. Rarely will a book entertain while affording true clarity to the unique chapters of One's life. The pages within "Brothers, Bears, and Beer" surely has.

Tim Wells
Relentless Pursuit (No. 1 TV Series, 2016- ), Sportsman Channel, World Famous Big Game Hunter, YouTube Sensation, Author

Douglas R. Oberhelman

“Brothers, Bears, and Beers” is a wonderful recollection of a time that seems far away but was rich in memories while living a cultural change in this country-the post Viet Nam/Watergate era. Thinking back to a complicated time but a much simpler one while the brothers enjoy the basics of college life around the continent with memories that stir in all of us. It’s certain this fun and descriptive writing will make everyone smile as they recall their own times almost 50 years ago."

Douglas R. Oberhelman
Former CEO and Executive Chairman of Caterpiller Inc., Author

About the Author

Joseph O. Svoboda

 

Upon college graduation, Joe received a one-way ticket to Alaska (thanks, Mom and Dad) and began living his dream of exploring America’s last great frontier. The slogan “North to the Future” on that state’s license plates in 1975 proved prophetic, as Alaska that year set both the trajectory of his life and scenes for his humorous memoir Brothers, Bears, and Beers.

Joe holds bachelor’s degrees in biology and geology from Monmouth College in Illinois and earned a master’s degree in geology from the University of Iowa in 1980. His exploration career covered two countries and twelve states. He has published several technical articles and was a former chairman of the Fort Worth, Texas chapter of the Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists. 

Always pursuing outdoor adventure, he has climbed Mount Rainier, hiked and fished in New Zealand, and dived the Great Barrier Reef. He enjoys tennis, hiking, and fishing. He and his wife divide their time between Washington and Florida.

Articles & Interviews

WGN Radio 720 After Hours with Rick Kogan (Chicago, Illinois) November 2023

WVIK 90.3 Heartland Politics with Robin Johnson (Quad Cities, Illinois & Iowa) September 2023

A story of adventure, WGN Radio 720, September 2023

A 70s Story That Offers Wisdom on Friendships With Lessons for Today, WVIK, September 2023

Svoboda, J.O., 1995, “Is Permian Salt Dissolution the Primary Mechanism for Fracture Genesis at Silo Field, Wyoming? Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG), High-Definition Seismic Guidebook, Denver, CO., p.79-85.

Tarkington, D.K., M.E. Podell, C. Clawson, and J. Svoboda, 1998, Abstract: Characteristics of a New Productive Cotton Valley Buildup Trend, East Texas Basin. American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Discovery Article # 90937.

Keep in Touch 

Email Joseph Svoboda