The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel (Epub)

Description

Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. This is 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 New York Times bestseller: In 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.

User’s Reviews

From School Library Journal Christopher Knight lived for 27 years in the woods of Maine with almost no human interaction, surviving by pilfering food and supplies. Opening with the account of how Knight was captured by an ex-marine after stealing from a local camp, this book begins on an exciting note, though the pace slows as Finkel weaves in research about the science of isolation along with an exploration of the philosophical and nature writing that might lead someone like Knight to seek seclusion. An extension of Finkel’s 2014 GQ article “The Strange & Curious Tale of the Last True Hermit,” this title goes into detail about the lengths to which Knight went in order to stay alive. Teens who are drawn to survival stories will appreciate reading about the harsh conditions Knight faced, including freezing weather, isolation, and lack of food, and the problem-solving skills on which he had to rely. This introspective look at the hermit life throughout time focuses on the ethical issues involved in one man’s attempt to break free of society. VERDICT Hand this volume to mature and thoughtful teens who love Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild or are interested in philosophy, science, or nature.—Carrie Shaurette, Dwight-Englewood School, Englewood, NJ Review “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

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ This type of story is usually right up my alley, but I’m really torn here. I wanted to like this book so much, but now a few months after reading it, I’m unsure if I liked it or not. Is this about a true hermit or about a guy that gave up on life early on? While it’s interesting that he was able to do this for so long and live virtually undetected so close to civilization, I ended up feeling this was just a quitter who hid from life and was only able to survive by stealing from others. I see other reviewers come away from this story having respect and/or admiration for this “hermit”, but after thinking it over a few times, that’s a bridge I just can’t cross here. And solitude? Give me a break! Knight wanted to get away from everything but ended up surviving and relying on all he claims to have wanted to escape in the first place. I don’t know, I seem to go back and forth on it. Maybe I’ll come back and change my review at some point, but for now I’m no fan of this “last hermit”.

⭐ I have to say that I have very mixed feelings about writing a review of this book. As a story, it is tremendous, and certainly gripping. The first several chapters drew me in like no book I have read in years. But there was something about the author that left a very bad taste in my mouth. He tried so hard to turn the subject of the book, Christopher Knight, into a hero, yet the manner in which he outright exploited him, against Knight’s very clear wishes, was downright insulting. The last several chapters of the book, in which the author essentially boasts about how he blatantly ignored Knight’s constant pleas to leave him and his family alone, left me wishing this book had never been written. I feel very badly for Christopher Knight and am ashamed at the manner in which the author exploited him.

⭐ This story evokes several emotions. As an avid nature enthusiast and someone that supremely enjoys solitude and confronting the philosophical questions related to life, having a job, and the framework of our society, it of course engenders supportive feelings toward the way that Knight chose to live his life. Most of the people that have read this book or have an interest in doing so understand how powerful some of the thought exercises so central to this book can be.What’s the purpose of life? Why are we here? What is happiness, what is joy? How should I live my life? What’s the point of having a job? Why is everyone so caught up in the toils of our modern society? Why can’t we live more simply?From that perspective, the sentiments expressed in the book and the corresponding thoughts they provoke are indeed powerful and worth exploring. That said, the entire story is sullied by the hypocrisy embedded in Knight’s (and, at times, the author’s) perspectives.Over the course of the book we learn how Knight feels that the world is out of touch and how the way he has chosen to live his life – simply, in the woods, isolated – is more philosophically grounded in the correct way to live and far more meaningful. True or not, I couldn’t believe the hypocrisy so clearly implied by his statements. That was best exemplified by his confusion regarding why anyone would want to spend all day in a cubicle in exchange for money – just so they can acquire more stuff – when this behavior is the only reason Knight stayed alive!Knight’s entire existence, at least in terms of the way he wanted to live it, required everyone that lived in the cabins near him to participate in modern society, as he needed to steal their food and supplies that were paid for with the earnings from their job. Indeed, if everyone near him lived as he did, they would all die, as they’d have no one to steal from.Some of the more sobering elements of the book are when the author talks to some of the cabin residents after Knight was caught. Several of them express how their family, especially their children, lived in fear every night, wondering if this would finally be the night the hermit broke into their cabin. Beyond the food and supplies, Knight robbed them of their feelings of safety and serenity. And for what? So that he could live the life he wanted? When this finally clicks for the reader, that Knight’s entire justification was largely based on him feeling that his way to live was correct – yet for it to happen he will need to visit fear upon dozens of families and children – you start to realize that this guy was an immature chump when he walked into the woods at 20 years old and an immature felon when he walked out at 47.

⭐ Michael Finkel, author of the true story of THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS: THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF THE LAST TRUE HERMIT, you have my utmost respect. Not only is this story of Chris Knight one of the most compelling that I have read in some time, but the lengths that you went to, to research his venture into the woods of Maine, to understand him, to get to know him, clearly better than anyone else has, and to represent him with such dignity, astounds me.Having never heard of this story, I was riveted from the get-go. What would possess a person to want to leave society and be completely isolated from their family and all society for that matter. It wasn’t until the end of the book that I truly understood Knight’s yearning for this lifestyle. I’m not sure that when he set out to live as a hermit, that he knew yet either.While some, especially those whose homes were burgled, might still never understand what would cause a person to want to live in such extreme conditions let alone in solitude, far removed from the ‘regular’ world, after reading the book, while I will never spend a night, let alone an hour in the woods, what drew Knight makes sense to me now.As the author quotes philosopher Merton, among others, “true solitary does not seek himself, but loses himself.” This book teaches us so much about what it truly means to be with oneself. The deeply profound and intellectually stimulating thoughts that come from doing so, most of us will probably never know. It is not just a story about how a man one day walked into the woods and decided to leave his life behind and live off the land, and the pantries of hundreds of nearby cabins. It is so much more. So much more thought-provoking. It’s not to say that after reading THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS that every reader will feel compelled to pick up and leave their jobs, families, and the comfort of modern society behind, but it sure does offer food for thought.Finkel points out “that most of us feel like something is missing from our lives, and wondered then if Knight’s journey was to seek it. But life isn’t about searching endlessly to find what’s missing; it’s about learning to live with the missing parts.”

⭐ The facts were great-simple nonfiction instead of philosophical prose would have done wonders here. This should have been a much shorter book. Instead, the author talked about historical figures in religion, and name dropped philosophers as if he knew something deep and scholarly-when instead his lapses into theory were worse than Wikipedia articles.Most atrocious, though, was the fact that the author clearly harassed and stalked Chris. I wonder if Chris had been a female if people would’ve taken stalking more seriously- he should be ashamed at not taking ‘no’ for an answer. At the end of reading this simpleminded book I felt disgusting-only at the end do we really understand the circumstances by which the author gets his knowledge. I read the book thinking maybe they had become friends, developed a trust- visiting someone in jail less than 10times does not make you an expert, nor does stalking and harassing someone. Most biographies start out with methodology for crafting the story-the sources used. Had I learned in the first chapter that this author is a predator and far crazier than any hermit I would have closed the book. I can’t believe I’m complicit in this filth. I was gonna put this book on the free table, but honestly I think I should just throw it in the trash.

⭐ After reading a few chapters of this book, I was hooked immediately. I couldn’t put it down. As someone who is drawn both to nature and seclusion, I was fascinated by Christopher Knight’s retreat from modern, Western society, into the heart of Maine’s woods. Many of us dream of secluding from the busyness of modern living—the fast-paced, noisy, cyclical nature in which life has become; yet many of us do not have the courage or tenacity to pursue such a dream, much less achieve this dream for the amount of time that Knight did.If you are like me—a dreamer, a wanderer, a hopeless romantic for escape—then this book will instantly capture you. You will be drawn into a story of a man that psychologists and therapists have no categories for. You will be drawn into a story of a man who survives the intensity of Maine’s weather and the silence of isolation. I promise, whether you agree with his choices or not, you will be drawn into this man’s life, enthralled by his zeal for solitude, and his utter brilliance in the entire quest.On a practical level, Michael Finkel has written this biographical account excellently. The book is written well, leaving you wanting more and more of the story when the chapters end. The chapters are short so that one can read briefly each night and still make significant headway in a few weeks. The account of Knight’s life is both formatted in narrative and in some ways, topically. If you are looking for a new book that will capture your attention, make you question some of your choices, and leave you desiring more out of life—please, pick up this book!

⭐ Because I am a born and raised Mainer, I followed the story about the “North Pond Hermit” in the news pretty closely when he was found. When I heard there was a book being written, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! I was seriously like a little kid that was about to be handed a giant ice cream cone when I heard it was available at my local library.Unfortunately, I did not like this book at all. Reading it actually made me angry. So angry that I’ve been sitting on this review for a while so I could cool off.It didn’t help.Other first five chapters totally captured me! I loved the way that these were written. Unfortunately in the sixth chapter things started falling apart for me. The book turned away from the story-like format into a story that was incredibly unorganized. I had such a hard time following.I also found this book to be incredibly repetitive. Rather than going from point a to point b, the storyline jumped forward or back in seemingly random intervals. So many things that we had already read were repeated to the reader as a refresher about a certain topic.I also didn’t care for all of the personal touches the author included. Like I didn’t care about his family life or how he went on a silence retreat. I picked up this book to read about Christopher, not Michael.I got really bored with the author constantly trying figure out the why behind Christopher’s motives when Christopher himself said he had no reasoning. It was like he was reading far too deep into things an analyzing things that didn’t need to be analyzed.The authors insistent personality really rubbed me the wrong way. Mainers definitely appreciate their privacy. I was so irritated that he was told not to keep calling or visiting. Like my jaw dropped when Michael showed up at Christopher’s parents house with a pie for Christopher’s mother. I could not believe he dared to do that.Many chapters of the book really dragged for me because they were more like history lessons. There was a ton of information and quotes from various doctors, hermits, or scholars that I simply didn’t care about. I felt that it was far too much information. And again, none of it seemed organized. Sure, it was grouped by topic, but other than that it was just lumped together. Most of it honestly seemed like it was just thrown in to take up space. It reminded me of a middle school student writing a science research paper… throwing quotes in left and right just to try to make their argument stronger, but ending up going way overboard.I wanted more about Christopher. I didn’t want to read a person trying to figure out Christopher and making all kinds of assumptions.

⭐ I wanted to read this book. I had to read it. A man, living alone in Maine, surviving by a combination of theft, his wits, and a strong understanding of the natural world around him…who wouldn’t want to read this book. And Michael Finkel tells a very good story. From a technical standpoint, he is at the top of his craft as a writer. We learn how Christopher Knight came to reject civilization, what the effects of isolation from human contact are, and the corresponding spiritual insights they can bring.And yet, the more I read of this book, the less I liked the author who seemed to be prying the story of Christopher Knight out of his subject, apparently against the wishes of his family, and certainly by the end of the book against the wishes of Knight himself who repeatedly asked him to leave him alone. But I find I can’t blame the author, Finkel, for writing this book. Writing is what he does, and he went to extraordinary lengths to do so accurately and fairly. But ironically, for all his concern about Knight’s well being, especially as he tried to reintegrate into society, his book denied Knight of the anonymity he craved most. But then again, I realized, Knight would still be anonymous but for the readers of this book, like myself. And despite the fact that, from the moment the book came out I felt I had to read it, I’m now left with the impression that it is really readers like myself who destroyed Knight’s goals for his life. I’d like to say that Finkel enabled this possibility on my part, but the truth is more the reverse. Readers like myself enable authors like Finkel.I read this book prepared to find that wilderness can transform how we perceive life. It is a truism I already know, having experienced a bit of it myself. But I’d never heard of anyone who went to the lengths Christopher Knight did to immerse oneself in the (truly mystical) experiences isolation in the wilderness can bring. So I ordered the book as soon as it was available. And I found what I was expecting; interesting insights into the human condition. But I found I experienced these in a very well written book that I possessed at the expense of a person’s privacy and dignity. And I feel a bit sullied by the whole experience. A guilty pleasure in the most literal sense of the term.

⭐ I’ve followed this story since Knight’s arrest, largely though Finkel’s reporting of it over the years. Amazing to have such a concise and complete account. My only hope is that someday Chris himself has a change of heart and writes about some aspect of the experience.Interesting to have read this after GEB and some writings on Zen Buddhism. Chris had achieved what many would consider “deep enlightenment,” but only as a side effect of his voluntary isolation.His story had most interested me in terms of what he’s said about the loss of self during his time alone. One description of consciousness is that it is only possible when one can define oneself separate from another. For Chris this was both basic – he was very different from the residents of north pond, and impossible – there were no other humans he interacted with to draw parallels from.Anyone interested in the extremes of human psychology will enjoy this book. Anyone who’s ever felt out of place in society will appreciate Chris Knight.

⭐ First off, the subtitle of this book is grossly misleading. Finkel even shared the following quote,”The general consensus among Hermitary denizens seems to be that Knight should not be considered a hermit. He was more of an insult to hermits. Meng-hu wrote a blog post about hermits like Knight. “The idea of a hermit who steals for a living confirms the worst stereotype of the ‘eremite as parasite,’ ” noted Meng-hu. “No historical hermit, especially those motivated by a spiritual sense but also wilderness hermits, has ever had the slightest motive to encroach upon anybody’s belongings— be that body, mind, time, space, or goods.” Stealing, added Meng-hu, is universally condemned by other hermits because it shows that one is undisciplined, lacking in empathy, and a menace to society, which are all contradictory to hermit ideals.”Finkel, Michael. The Stranger in the Woods (p. 160). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.So to say that Knight was a “true hermit” was deceitful and probably done to sensationalize the book title. As a person with hermetic tendencies, I know using that word peaked my interest. Fortunately, I found the story to be interesting, despite the deceptive title.One of my previous bosses had a friend who committed suicide. I’ll never forget what he said about that – that it was one of the most selfish acts a person could do. Though Knight didn’t commit physical suicide, his disappearing act was one of extreme selfishness. Though considered intelligent by some, I agree with the professionals who were consulted in the writing of this book – something was not right with Knight that went beyond just being antisocial.People were divided about Knight. Many of those he stole from were traumatized for months while others saw him as a harmless eccentric. While he claimed to be remorseful for stealing, he went way beyond stealing necessities. So, while I understand Knight’s desire to disconnect from society, he could have chosen several other ways to do it that didn’t negatively affect so many other people. I suppose there are people who glamorize Knight’s choices; I am not one of them.While the book was well researched and well written, I only gave it 2 stars because of Knight himself. Well, that and the author’s inclusion of evolution and an old-earth belief.

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