SF Chronicle: ‘Bear Boy’ memoir tells the story of S.F. man’s childhood journey as an animal activist

When Justin Barker’s coming-of-age memoir “Bear Boy” begins, it’s the summer of 1995 and he’s a lonely, misunderstood 13-year-old who’s often teased and bullied at his middle school in Elk Grove (Sacramento County). Lacking friends and uninterested in sports, Barker withdraws into hours of mindless television at home when he isn’t fighting with his mom.

READ:‘Bear Boy’ memoir tells the story of S.F. man’s childhood journey as an animal activist