Stranger Than Fiction Book Club-The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

Stranger Than Fiction Book Club meets monthly to discuss current nonfiction titles. In August, we will discuss Michael Finkel's The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last Hermit.

A National Geographic Best Book of the Year 

National Bestseller 

Many people dream of escaping modern life. Most will never act on it--but in 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight did just that when he left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. He would not have a conversation with another person for the next twenty-seven years.

Drawing on extensive interviews with Knight himself, journalist Michael Finkel shows how Knight lived in a tent in a secluded encampment, developing ingenious ways to store provisions and stave off frostbite during the winters. A former alarm technician, he stealthily broke into nearby cottages for food, books, and supplies, taking only what he needed but sowing unease in a community plagued by his mysterious burglaries. Since returning to the world, he has faced unique challenges--and compelled us to reexamine our assumptions about what makes a good life. By turns riveting and thought-provoking, The Stranger in the Woods gives us a deeply moving portrait of a man determined to live his own way.