Inspired by the Native Alaskan myths and legends of her adopted state, Nancy Lord explores the persistent human need for contact with nature in the quietly ironic fables set that make up The Man Who Swam with Beavers. "It is not my intent to appropriate, retell, or improve on the traditional source stories, but to use them as starting points to explore the dilemmas and delights of modern American life." The title refers to a Dena’ina traditional story about a man who lived with beavers, with the moral that all creatures have "their own lives, as complete and legitimate as any others." These wise, charming stories examine individual and collective responsibilities to one another and to the natural world.