The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Mi

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The unforgettable true story of Christopher Knight, who found refuge from the pressures of modern society by living alone in the Maine woods for twenty-seven years.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality—not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own."A meditation on solitude, wildness and survival." —The Wall Street JournalIn 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life—why did he leave? what did he learn?—as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.

Author Biography

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.

Review

"A meditation on solitude, wildness and survival." —The Wall Street Journal"Astonishing. . . . An absorbing exploration of solitude and man's eroding relationship with the natural world." —The Atlantic "Campfire-friendly and thermos-ready, easily drained in one warm, rummy slug. It also raises a variety of profound questions—about the role of solitude, about the value of suffering, about the diversity of human needs." —The New York Times"[A] fascinating story. . . . Finkel manages to pry powerful words from the man who may hold the world title for silent retreat." —San Francisco Chronicle"Reveals, in vivid detail, how Christopher Knight escaped society more completely than most anybody else in human history." —Outside"[An] intriguing account of Knight's capture and confessions." —USA Today"A story that takes the two primary human relationships—to nature and to one another—and deftly upends our assumptions about both. This was a breathtaking book to read and many weeks later I am still thinking about the implications for our society and—by extension—for my own life." —Sebastian Junger, author of Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging "As strong as Finkel's storytelling instincts and prose are, his greatest feat in writing The Stranger in the Woods is the journalistic diligence and humanity he brought to Knight. . . . Through Finkel, Knight is able to speak up with his own voice at last." —Paste "[Knight's] story will speak to anyone who has ever walked through the wilderness and considered, even for a moment, whether ever to leave." —Field & Stream"Moving and haunting. . . . A beautifully rendered, carefully researched story." —PopMatters"Riveting. . . . A stunning look inside at the life and inner thoughts of one of our era's most confounding characters." —Bangor Daily News "Thought-provoking and enduring . . . Will leave readers thinking deeply about modern society, the search for meaning, and the impact of solitude. Finkel is a skilled storyteller." —Portland Press Herald (Maine) "I was drawn through these pages in a single sitting—their pull is true and magnetic. . . . [Knight's] tale becomes universal thanks to the expert care of Finkel's writing. . . The Stranger in the Woods is, ultimately, a meditation on the pains of social obligation and the longing toward retreat that resides in us all." —Michael Harris, The Globe and Mail (Toronto)"Michael Finkel has done something magical with this profound book . . . [His] investigation runs deep, summoning . . . the human history of our own attempts to find meaning in a noisy world." —Michael Paterniti, author of Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain"Chris Knight is an American original . . . I burned through this haunting tale in one rapt sitting." —John Vaillant, author of The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed

Review Quote

"A story that takes the two primary human relationships--to nature and to one another--and deftly upends our assumptions about both. This was a breathtaking book to read and many weeks later I am still thinking about the implications for our society and--by extension--for my own life." --Sebastian Junger "An absorbing exploration of solitude and man's eroding relationship with the natural world. Though the 'stranger' in the title is Knight, one closes the book with the sense that Knight, like all seers, is the only sane person in a world gone insane--that modern civilization has made us strangers to ourselves." --Nathaniel Rich, The Atlantic "Campfire-friendly and thermos-ready, easily drained in one warm, rummy slug... Raises a variety of profound questions--about the role of solitude, about the value of suffering, about the diversity of human needs." --Jennifer Senior, The New York Times "Michael Finkel has done something magical with this profound book... [His] investigation runs deep, summoning...the human history of our own attempts to find meaning in a noisy world." --Michael Paterniti "Chris Knight is an American original... I burned through this haunting tale in one rapt sitting." --John Vaillant

Description for Reading Group Guide

The questions, discussion topics, and reading list that follow are intended to enhance your reading group's conversation about The Stranger in the Woods, Michael Finkel's absorbing and clear-eyed account of a man who spent decades living in complete solitude in the forests of Maine, only to be discovered and forced to return to society.

Discussion Question for Reading Group Guide

1. Discuss the significance of the Socrates epigraph that opens The Stranger in the Woods. How does this set the tone for the book? How does it relate to the book''s larger discussion of needs versus wants? 2. In the early pages of the book, Finkel states that Knight has "stripped the world to his essentials." Consider the lifestyle that Knight leads in North Pond. What are his essentials? How many of these essentials are material versus immaterial? What does he value the most? 3. On page 5, Finkel states that Knight has a "moral code" that he lives by, which determines what he will and will not steal. How would you describe his moral code? How does his moral code relate to larger ideas about capitalism and materialism in the United States? 4. In the first few chapters of the book, Knight is referred to solely as "the hermit," before his name and identity are revealed to the reader. Why do you think Finkel chose to employ this narrative device? Explore the significance of the lore around Knight as "the hermit," and how the mythos of "the hermit" is complicated once his identity is made publicly known. 5. How would you describe the locals'' attitudes toward the hermit over time? Discuss the varied experiences of those who were victimized by his crimes and how these incidents affected their perceptions of their hometown, their domicile, and their safety. After his arrest, how does the narrative of the hermit change, if at all? 6. How do you feel about Knight? On the North Pond camp owners'' scale of "Lock Knight up forever" to "Let him go immediately," where do you reside? 7. In chapter six, Finkel describes the fanfare surrounding Knight''s arrest, pronounced "a circus" by some local officials. Consider the irony of Knight''s fame in relation to his desire for solitude. How does Knight play into the public''s idea of what a hermit "should" be? 8. In chapter seven, the narrative lens of The Stranger in the Woods shifts to allow for the author''s point of view to emerge. What spurs Finkel to reach out to Knight, initially? Discuss their early exchanges, as well as Finkel''s first visit. How does their relationship evolve? 9. Early in their relationship, Finkel reveals to Knight that he is a "flawed journalist," based on past actions during his reportage. Why does he choose to do this? Discuss the "lofty ideals" that both men strive for in their lives. How are they both committed to seeking truth? 10. Discuss Knight''s time in jail. How does the movement from complete solitude to imprisonment affect his morale? What tactics from his time in the woods does he use to pass the time? 11. Throughout The Stranger in the Woods, Knight is defined by many labels: He is a hermit, a thief, a prisoner, a purist, a son, a brother. Which of these labels does he associate himself with, if any? How much of a person''s identity is shaped by socialization, and how much is self-determined? 12. On page 50, Finkel states that Knight "seemed to say exactly what he was thinking, raw and true, unfiltered by the safety net of social niceties." Discuss this statement. How does Knight''s time in the woods affect his understanding of human interactions? What is his general standpoint toward humanity? How does his exposure to media (books, radio) keep him connected to society at large? 13. When reading Notes from the Underground, Knight felt that Dostoyevsky was reaching through time and speaking directly to him. What books have made you feel that way? 14. Discuss Knight''s childhood and family. How does the idea of rugged individualism and self-reliance color his upbringing? The value of privacy? Consider his absence in the lives of his family members, and his sudden return to them. Does he feel any guilt about his decision to disappear? How does his family interpret his return? 15. On page 78, Finkel notes that Knight''s decision to retreat to the woods "had elements of a suicide, except he didn''t kill himself." Unpack this statement. Considering Knight''s promise to go back into the woods at the end of the book, how does he view death in relation to the natural world? 16. Consider Finkel''s discussion of various hermits or secluded individuals in societies around the world. What does Knight share with these other historical examples of hermits? Is there a mutual moral commitment that underpins their solitude? How much of Knight''s decision to isolate himself seems to come from a place of idealism versus personal preference? How does his existence in Little North defy the typical categorization of what a hermit is? 17. Discuss the discipline inherent to Knight''s existence in the woods. How is his life reliant on patterns and consistency? How does he use fear as motivation? 18. On page 112, Knight wonders if "modern society, with its flood of information and tempest of noise, was only making us dumber." Reflect on this statement. What are the pitfalls of technology in relation to modern living? How does our reliance on technology undercut some of the most essential human functions? 19. Stranger in the Woods asks complicated, fundamental questions about solitude, self-reliance, and humans'' relationship with nature, with an extraordinary, singularly unique human at the center. Consider your own life as it relates to these concepts. How often are you completely alone? Do you ever seek out solitude, particularly in nature? How is nature both restorative and challenging for the human spirit? By the end of the book, how did your feelings toward Knight evolve?

Excerpt from Book

Chapter 16 Knight lived in the dirt but was cleaner than you. Way cleaner. Pine needles and mud don''t make you dirty, except superficially. The muck that matters, the bad bacteria, the evil virus, is typically passed through coughs and sneezes and handshakes and kisses. The price of sociability is sometimes our health. Knight quarantined himself from the human race and thus avoided our biohazards. He stayed phenomenally healthy. Though he suffered deeply at times, he insists he never once had a medical emergency, or a serious illness, or a bad accident, or even a cold. During the summers, especially in the early years, he was strong, fit, and spry. "You should have seen me in my twenties--I ruled the land I walked upon, it was mine," Knight said, exposing the prideful streak that runs below his surface of contrition. "Why shouldn''t I claim it as my own? No one else was there. I was in control. I controlled it as much as I wanted. I was lord of the woods." Poison ivy grows throughout the area; its prevalence prevented some people from searching for his site. Knight kept a little jingle in his head--"leaves of three, let it be"--and so ably memorized where each patch grew that even at night he didn''t brush against it. He says he was never once afflicted. Lyme disease, a bacterial illness transmitted through tick bites that can cause partial paralysis, is endemic to central Maine, but Knight was spared that as well. He brooded about Lyme for a while, then came to a realization: "I couldn''t do anything about it, so I stopped thinking about it." Living in the woods, subject to the whims of nature, offers a great deal of autonomy but not much control. At first, Knight worried about everything: snowstorms might bury him, hikers could find him, the police would capture him. Gradually, methodically, he shed most of his anxiety. But not all. Being too relaxed, he felt, was also a danger. In appropriate doses, worry was useful, possibly lifesaving. "I used worry to encourage thought," he said. "Worry can give you an extra prod to survive and plan. And I had to plan." At the conclusion of each thieving mission, he was absolved temporarily of worry. The order in which he ate his food was governed by the pace of spoilage, ground beef to Twinkies. When he was down to little more than flour and shortening, he''d mix those together with water and make biscuits. He never stole homemade meals or unwrapped items, for fear someone might poison him, so everything he took came sealed in a carton or can. He ate every morsel, scraping the containers clean. Then he deposited the wrappers and cartons in his camp''s dump, stuffed between boulders at the boundary of his site. The dump was scattered over an area of about a hundred square feet. One section was devoted to items like propane tanks and old mattresses and sleeping bags and books, another to food containers. Even in the food area, there was no odor. Knight added layers of dirt and leaves to aid with composting, which eliminated any smell, but most of the packaging was waxed cardboard or plastic, slow to disintegrate. Upon excavation, the colors on many boxes remained garish, superlatives and exclamation points and rococo typography popping from the soil while robins chirped in the branches above. The archeological record contained in his dump revealed why Knight''s only significant health issue was his teeth. He brushed regularly, he stole toothpaste, but did not see a dentist and his teeth began to rot. It didn''t help that his culinary preferences never progressed beyond the sugar-and-processedfood palate of a teenager. " ''Cooking'' is too kind a word for what I did," he said. A staple meal was macaroni and cheese. Dozens of macand-cheese boxes were buried between the rocks, along with several empty spice bottles--black pepper, garlic powder, hot sauce, blackened seasoning. Often, when Knight was inside a cabin with a good spice rack, he would grab a new bottle and try it out on his macaroni and cheese. Also in his dump was a flattened thirty-ounce container from cheddar-flavored Goldfish crackers, a five-pound tub from Marshmallow Fluff, and a box that had held sixteen Drake''s Devil Dogs. There were packages from graham crackers, tater tots, baked beans, shredded cheese, hot dogs, maple syrup, chocolate bars, cookie dough. Betty Crocker scalloped potatoes and Tyson chicken strips. Country Time lemonade and Mountain Dew. El Monterey spicy jalape

Details ISBN1101911530 Author Michael Finkel Short Title STRANGER IN THE WOODS Pages 224 Language English ISBN-10 1101911530 ISBN-13 9781101911532 Format Paperback DEWEY B Year 2018 Publication Date 2018-01-30 Subtitle The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2018-01-30 NZ Release Date 2018-01-30 US Release Date 2018-01-30 UK Release Date 2018-01-30 Place of Publication New York Publisher Random House USA Inc Imprint Vintage Books Illustrations 2 MAPS Audience General We've got this

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