The Clan of the Cave Bear

I was trained in literary criticism and spent years reading the “Classics,” considered the greatest books of all time, so the fact that Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear, first published in 1980, to derisive and condescending reception is my absolute favorite read comes as a surprise, even to myself.

I’ve been so enthralled with this story of a little girl named Ayla who’s found and raised by Neanderthals following the massive earthquake that destroys the Cro-Magnon tribe into which she was born—that I’ve read Clan, along with its five sequels three times, all the way through.… show more.

Ayla’s amazing story of survival in ancient times no doubt influenced me in writing my own book, although I didn’t realize it until I was deep into telling my own story.

Both Ayla and Na’amah were, in a way we find difficult to grasp today, intimately connected to nature. Their very survival turned on that deep understanding. Both women were considered “different,” a feeling that resonated with me.  

I was particularly drawn to the premise that explored how two distinct, but related tribes of humans could have evolved with different innate characteristics and capacities (one relying more on instincts and… show more.

“Archeology” is the study of human prehistory through the excavation and analysis of artifacts and other physical remains. Author Jean M. Auel humanized what archeologists coldly classified as the human sub-species Homo Neanderthalensis, and changed literature forever. In her 1980 breakout novel The Clan of the Cave Bear she breathed life into bits of bone, stone chips, and cave art and, in the doing, made Neanderthals real to millions of readers. Jean M. Auel gave Neanderthals real hopes, fears, love and inner darkness. Through the eyes of a Cro-Magnon girl named Ayla, Auel saw Neanderthals not as primitive brutes,… show more.

Although an older book, this is a well-written book (and series) that takes you through a prehistoric journey that really challenges you because there are no modern amenities to really aid our hero through her journey. Aside from that, she is challenged from a tender age already and has to fight to survive horrid circumstances starting when she is five years old. She is at a disadvantage against the people who adopt her, and later brutalize her. But there’s a strong resonance of independence and fighting spirit that the reader can connect with. 

This was my favourite adventure series as a teenager - set in pre-historic times - and remains embedded in my heart because the main character, Ayla, had such a beautiful balance of qualities that I hadn’t read in other female-led YA novels, and made me feel so empowered over my transition into womanhood.

She is fiercely brave, independent, smart, and courageous, but at the same time can be vulnerable, gentle, loving, and express qualities that are traditionally feminine. The way she navigates adversity and the challenges of being an outsider in a tribe who all look and behave differently to… show more.