The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel

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.

Published by Penguin Random House.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. I was lord of the woods.'įrom The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel ©2017. 'Why shouldn't I claim it as my own? No one else was there. '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. 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.ĭuring the summers, especially in the early years, he was strong, fit, and spry. Knight quarantined himself from the human race and thus avoided our biohazards. The price of sociability is sometimes our health. The muck that matters, the bad bacteria, the evil virus, is typically passed through coughs and sneezes and handshakes and kisses. Pine needles and mud don't make you dirty, except superficially. Knight lived in the dirt but was cleaner than you. Read an excerpt | Author interviews From the book 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. ( From Penguin Random House) Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life, as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. 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. 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 would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. In 1986, a shy and intelligent 20-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. 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.

Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. The best international nonfiction of 2017.