The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True 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.

Author: Michael Finkel
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 01/30/2018
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.58lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.60d
ISBN13: 9781101911532
ISBN10: 1101911530
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Adventurers & Explorers
- Psychology | Personality
- Sports & Recreation | Camping

About the Author
Michael Finkel is the author of True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa, which was adapted into a 2015 major motion picture. He has written for National Geographic, GQ, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and The New York Times Magazine. He lives in western Montana.