The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit - The Stranger in the Woods

Not happy about having to write my very personal reaction to this book in such a public forum, but am motivated by my intense desire to communicate how important the book has been for me, and possibly could be for others.
Like I believe many people, I find myself often addicted to a particular handheld, mindless electronic game. Some days, I spend hours on this. I do it to cope with stress. Traumatized as a child, I found that if I created rushes of adrenalin, by creating dangerous situation in my teenage life, for example, it warded off suicidality and all manner of emotional dysfunction. That was a very long time ago, but neuronal pathways are stubborn. I'm deeply ashamed and embarrassed by this addiction. It does indeed create rushes of adrenalin that successfully cut off my emotional life.
About five days before I heard the Snap Judgment interview, Personal Jesus, which led me to buying this book, I'd deleted the game app from my phone and began meditating.
Hearing the podcast, I couldn't stop thinking about Chris. I bought the ebook the next day and read most of it that night, the rest the next morning.
I'm sure Chris didn't intend for, or realize that his life would become a beacon, calling many people trapped inside an electronic bubble, back home. But this is what it did for me.
Fifteen or so years ago, I had the one and only spiritual experience of my life, where I was sitting doing nothing (a very unusual state for me) and I clearly heard the words in my head 'welcome home, I've been waiting for you'. I immediately felt a deep sense of peace, and fell asleep. I've been able to return to that ever since - not always when I want or at call, but it's there.
This morning, when I sat in meditation, listening to sounds (birds in Lake Como) and simply feeling my own presence in the soundscape, I thought of Chris and the book, and began sobbing. Only for less than a minute, but I knew it was some part of myself grieving for the another part of myself that had wasted so much precious lifetime in mindlessness disconnection with myself and the world around me.
I think this is an important story of the moment. Thank you Michael and Chris.

Super interesting story. I appreciated the authors tenacity and attention to detail. Also, his bits of information and history that explained solitude and hermit like behavior. Easy, interesting, thought provoking read.

Fantastic book- very well researched- brimming with authenticity. Couldn't put The Stranger In the Woods down- did NOT want the book to end. Knight is a fascinating character- very smart and willful as all hell! Congrats Mr. Finkel!
I'm already thinking of the film and who might play Christopher Knight.

The author got like a couple of interviews with the subject of the story, throws in hours of Wikipedia like facts about hermits through history (high school depth) and calls it a book. And then the Hermit himself, Chris Knight, is more like a permanent teenager than anything else, no profound nothing there. Only consumerism can make this anti consumption book a best seller.

Great book, finished it in a day. Love the writing style of the author. Some parts drag on a bit (specifically the references to historical authors and stories of hermits from days past). All and all though the whole story of Chris is facinating and you can tell the author's dedication to telling the whole truth.

Touched my heart in unexpected ways....I appreciated the author's dogged yet respectful efforts to better understand Chris and tell his story. As a New Englander living on the Maine/NH border and as a fellow human, it resonated.

I expected this book to be a "thrilling page turner" however it is not. The chapter order was not organized very well and after about half way through the book you basically knew the whole story. Organizational skills are severely lacking in this book.

This is a fascinating book. The reader learns about Christopher Knight: how he was captured after living alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years; how he accomplished it; and the aftermath of his capture. We are left in suspense, however, because his protective?/overprotective? family eventually blocked all contact between him and the author, and we don't learn of how he has fared since then.

Michael Finkel does an excellent job of capturing the reader's attention by beginning with the climax of the book, the arrest of Christopher Knight. Then he goes back and fills in the details, along with information about his making and maintaining contact with the reclusive hermit afterwards until his family took over.

One is left admiring Knight's resourcefulness. While stealing is generally wrong, it is — as Knight and his schoolmates were taught — legitimate to take what one needs to survive. It is easy to feel sympathy for a man who simply felt he had to get away from human society, even though it is impossible to share the feeling. We are left to wonder how he is coping with his new life and to hope it is going well.

This is a book which is well worth reading for the insights it gives into an extraordinary mind and the amazing tale of survival that very few could have accomplished.

book gives a lot of details on the extraordinary life of the 'hermit' . interesting read. He is a very intelligent man and am sorry he had to be forced to live in today's fast paced society. Experiencing today's society as a whole and dealing with people is difficult enough, but he will have a tough time from here on having previously lived totally isolated for such a long period of time.

I bought this booked after listening the author do an interview on coast to coast AM. I read the entire book about 3 days . I one thing that was really annoying about the book is the lack of pictures of the campsite. Its hard to get a mental picture of the campsite, a site that no one found in 27 years with out actual photos. There is a sketch of he campsite, but it does not do much for showing how it was hidden.

overall very good read,

Freedom is a state we often dream about, as in free to do what we want, free to speak our thoughts, free to choose. The life of Chris Knight tells you how far we are from true freedom, the one from our minds. This book narrates the true story of a brilliant young mind that goes all the way to achieve that.

I came to this book with much excitement. I have a fascination with the many people throughout history who have removed themselves from society and lived differently. However I finished the book with some real reservations.

I didn't like the writing. It was often speculative and gave too many insights into the author rather than Knight himself. It also just wasn't well written.

I also felt dissatisfied with the level of insight into the psychological experience of Knight. I wanted to delve into what happens to someone who stays in isolation for so long. What happens to their mind? How do they make the transition into isolation and how do they make the transition out? Who do they become? There are endless unanswered questions.

I also felt that I wanted to read that the author was giving at least 50% of the profits of this book to Knight to support him but I couldn't see this in the book. Perhaps I missed it. Otherwise it just reeks of someone making money from the story of a vulnerable person.

The saddest part for me was the author's inability to respect Knight's boundaries that he repeatedly voiced. Was the crux of the book not about a man who wanted a different relationship with the world? A relationship on his terms? And even the author crossed those boundaries over and over again.

I hope someone will set up a fund for Knight to enable him to be alone and free. I would gladly give my money. I feel that would have been the right and compassionate reason for writing this book. I hope one day soon that happens.

Not the most interesting book. The author seemed like he wanted to use the hermit as a means to make money and the hermit seemed like a prick. He called himself a survivalist, but he only survived because he stole. He claimed he was willing to die in the woods, but yet stole food to continue living. I'm irritated with myself for spending money on this.

I came to this book with much excitement. I have a fascination with the many people throughout history who have removed themselves from society and lived differently. However I finished the book with some real reservations.

I didn't like the writing. It was often speculative and gave too many insights into the author rather than Knight himself. It also just wasn't well written.

I also felt dissatisfied with the level of insight into the psychological experience of Knight. I wanted to delve into what happens to someone who stays in isolation for so long. What happens to their mind? How do they make the transition into isolation and how do they make the transition out? Who do they become? There are endless unanswered questions.

I also felt that I wanted to read that the author was giving at least 50% of the profits of this book to Knight to support him but I couldn't see this in the book. Perhaps I missed it. Otherwise it just reeks of someone making money from the story of a vulnerable person.

The saddest part for me was the author's inability to respect Knight's boundaries that he repeatedly voiced. Was the crux of the book not about a man who wanted a different relationship with the world? A relationship on his terms? And even the author crossed those boundaries over and over again.

I hope someone will set up a fund for Knight to enable him to be alone and free. I would gladly give my money. I feel that would have been the right and compassionate reason for writing this book. I hope one day soon that happens.

Not the most interesting book. The author seemed like he wanted to use the hermit as a means to make money and the hermit seemed like a prick. He called himself a survivalist, but he only survived because he stole. He claimed he was willing to die in the woods, but yet stole food to continue living. I'm irritated with myself for spending money on this.

I purchased this book simply because I was curious to hear the story of how someone could live as a hermit for 27 years, but I ended up receiving so much more. This book is well-written, well paced, and the author offers a lot of good insight into the meaning of Christopher Knight's life along the way. It reads like a novel, and I believe the author did a good job of not trying to paint the picture of Mr. Knight as he wanted it, but truly as it really is (which only goes to strengthen one of the underlying themes of this book). Highly recommended!

Please, the book was silly. Dude lives in the woods, close to people and steals lots of fudge from the local summer camp. Big deal. What insights does he have after thirty years of stealing? Surprisingly little. I could tell you, but trust me, no big insights into the nature of man here. This book defines the word "over-hyped."

Having spent the last seven years downsizing my life, recently reducing even more my contacts with the world, and seriously contemplating deeper retreat into solitude, finding less and less purpose or reason in the acquisitive, grasping culture in which we live or the measurements by which that culture judges success and achievement, I was fascinated by the premise of this book.

In 1986 a 20-year-old hikes into the woods of Maine, where he lives in near-complete solitude for almost 30 years until he is arrested during the final of the thousands of burglaries he had committed over the decades in order to feed, clothe, and warm himself.

Once he is captured people are divided in their feelings about him and the years of thievery, the fear he caused among the population from whom he repeatedly stole. There is fury and anger, and there is sympathy and admiration. There is speculation he is autistic, mentally ill, a genius, a fraud, a savant.

What there is not is any clear --- or even vague --- answer as to why he did what he did. Michael Finkel is near relentless in his effort to connect with Chris Knight, but the not-quite-hermit is uninterested in being explained, or explaining himself. He did what he did and it was what it was and the need of modern culture to psychoanalyze and parse every emotion and action, to determine a why and bestow a label, is part of what Knight was determined to leave behind --- or, so it seems to me. He is not --- was not --- interested in the sort of mass-market introspection and categorizing which defines modern society, he wanted just to be.

Once he was forcibly returned to the "real world" he understandably had a difficult time merging back into a structure where he is ruled by statutes and etiquette and niceties he had eschewed for most of his adult life.

Michael Finkel tells the story and quotes Thoreau and psychologists and experts aplenty --- too many, in fact --- and so this ends up feeling bereft of emotional heft and more of a stretched-thin research project or magazine article, padded with expert opinion that does little to illuminate what we really want to know; Why did he do it? What effect did it have on his family? Who is this man? Exploration of which might have made this book better resonate with that part of all of us that wishes to disappear, be left alone, enjoy some silence.

(Borrowed from the store via Overdrive)
This is the story of a man who hides out in the Maine woods for 27 years, virtually undetected. It's an intriguing story, but perhaps would have made a better long magazine article than a book. It felt a little padded to me. Here are the reasons I rated it only three stars, just okay.
1. The author seems to have romanticized the hermit. He tries to make the hermit into a wise sage who withdraws from society because of wisdom, even though Knight (the hermit) denies that is the case. Based on the evidence, it seems more likely that Knight was painfully shy, likely with some emotional issues.
2. Knight didn't survive on his own, he survived by stealing everything he had from cabins and a summer camp for disabled people. Both the author and Knight justify this by saying it's kind of okay because Knight felt guilty about stealing, and only stole what he needed. First of all, that isn't true. He didn't just steal food and necessities; he stole a TV, video games, books, radios, etc. He justified the video games by saying he only stole old looking games that kids probably weren't excited about anymore. Who is he to decide what games the rightful owners don't care about? If you are stealing for 27 years, you don't feel THAT guilty about it. And, feeling guilty doesn't make it okay. To be fair, the author includes about two pages of homeowners talking about how having their cabins broken into over and over (one cabin 27 times) robbed the owners of their peace of mind and made children fearful. But, for the most part, the author justifies the thievery, which I found unacceptable on his part. He kind of makes the victims of the stealing into the bad guys for being upset about being crime victims over and over and over.
3. The book seems padded with lots of history of hermits, talk about reactions to being in solitary confinement, etc. that don't seem to have a lot to do with Knight. For instance, he talks to one prisoner who was in solitary confinement for years. What the author doesn't seem to get is that Knight chose his life, and wasn't a prisoner. He could have walked out of those woods, back into society any time he wanted.
4. One glaring omission from the book was any expert discussion of whether it is really possible to live through a Maine winter without any source of heat. (Knight said he didn't light fires because he didn't want the smoke and light to give his presence away.) Many of the people in Maine question whether it is possible to survive this way. The author simply says it is true because Knight said it was true. Many of the Maine neighbors suspect that Knight stayed in cabins or had help from family. I don't know what is true. However, despite talking to lots of experts on hermits, solitude, autism, mental health issues, etc. the author never brings in any expert evidence from anybody about cold weather survival. I really needed to read more on this topic in order to buy Knight's story.
5. I felt annoyed with the author continually going after Knight and his family despite being told many times to leave them alone. He kept calling them, going to their homes, writing letters. I really felt that he was not helpful to this man who had a lot of obvious issues. Honestly, the last thing this family needed was more notoriety from this book.
So, the author wants Knight to be a hero who survived all on his own. But, Knight didn't survive on his own. He didn't hunt or fish or live off the land. He stole. The author says that some people work for a living in little cubicles; Knight lived for a living. No, Knight stole for a living.
3.

In a remote area of Maine, many families and owners of camp grounds are perplexed by a rash of burglaries that seem to be carried out by one of the most polite thieves in the world. The burglar will take only what he needs, avoiding costly items, and cleans up when he leaves. Some of the victims wonder whether they really have been robbed or whether it is a family member. Maybe they are losing their marbles? There are rumors of a hermit living in the woods but nobody has caught him, yet. Until the night that Christopher Knight is caught while robbing a local camp ground of their foodstuffs. Once Knight is caught and sits in jail to answer for the hundreds, maybe thousands, of break-ins that he has committed over decades, more questions arise than are answered.

I was very torn when reading the book. I really enjoyed it. It was well written and I felt like I was reading a novel. I finished it quickly and enjoyed learning about Chris Knight (he is extremely likeable and his morals, despite being a thief, are above and beyond most other people) and solitude, in general. Because this book it more about solitude than the case about Knight. Finkel regales us with tales about his own time spent in solitude and includes thoughts from people, historical and contemporary, who have spent extended periods of time by themselves. Scientific evidence both for and against seclusion are detailed. Psychologists were consulted with to determine what, if any, diagnoses should be made for Knights mental state and what personality traits lead one to become a hermit. I was fascinated with all the information because I, myself, enjoy solitude. I joke with people that the best home for me would be one built on top of a very steep hill; one that screams "I don't really enjoy visitors." The rub, for me, was that Chris Knight was not like other hermits described in the book. He doesn't want to be a source of inspiration for others. He doesn't want to write a book. He doesn't want publicity. I don't think he wanted a book written about him and, though he may have acquiesced (I get the feeling that Knight is a bit of a people pleaser, despite being a gruff loner), I don't think that he would have enjoyed that people are reading this book and becoming fascinated with his story. Knight wanted to be alone. He still wants to be alone. We should leave him alone. We don't need to ponder whether he is autistic or has a personality disorder. We don't need to conduct interviews with him. We don't need to attempt to selfishly garner wisdom about life from him. We just need to leave him be. That being said, it was a great book and readers who enjoy memoirs or true stories would enjoy the book. I just felt there were some moral issues with the fact that the book was written, at all.

The Stranger in the Woods was one of my top anticipated books of 2017 and I was fascinated by the premise, so I could not wait to read it. I enjoyed the first half. It’s hard to read a novel about someone, who is a real person, knowing the extremes the author went to, to create a book. To harass Knight and his family just to write a book is uncalled for, and when he asked to be left alone, he should have. To show up unannounced and guilt Knight into seeing him because he traveled so far. That’s manipulation, not journalism or being invested in a story.

Knight robbing from thousands of homes isn’t excusable, but let's not forget that he is a human, and that doesn’t mean he deserved to be harassed when he wanted to be left alone in the first place. The book is compelling, and for that, this would have had a higher rating, but I don’t care how intriguing Knight’s life in the woods was, Finkel’s behavior and motives are enough to make the book unpalatable.

I’m conflicted on this book. It's written well enough and the story is captivating: “How could he have done this and why?” are questions we would all like to have answered. But by the end I didn’t like Knight and felt the author was trying to make him better than he was. (This, of course, helps him sell more books; who would buy a book about a selfish ne’er-do-well?) The author kept emphasizing how intelligent Knight was, like he was some misunderstood genius that just couldn’t live with the rest of us dummies.

The author compared Knight to Thoreau, whom Knight had the gall to criticize as a dilettante, as if he was the real thing and Thoreau just a faker! Well Thoreau wrote a profound book about his experience, and Knight gave the world nothing and took from many. He also likened Knight to spiritual seekers throughout the ages who were hermits. The author didn’t equate them directly, that would obviously have been ridiculous, but the subtle suggestion that Knight was in the same or similar class left me cold.

Why? Because Knight was first and foremost a thief, who apparently stole everything he lived in, ate, cooked with, wore, slept on, read, and listened to, washed with, and everything else it takes to live for 27 years, such as car batteries, propane, watches, flashlights, boots, gloves, hats, razors, shave cream, etc. This must have cost tens of thousands of dollars in total over a 27 year span! He was not living off the land; he was living off innocent neighbors who worked to buy everything he lived on for 27 years!

He was not a spiritual seeker; he did not plan to or attempt to discover some truths or lessons about life to later share with the world and help others. Instead, imo, he was just selfish and too lazy to support himself; he was a parasite who lived off others for 27 years in his self-absorbed indolence.
Knight proved this after his capture and release from jail when he turned down what I thought would have been a perfect job for an introvert like him – to work on an organic farm, and his reason was that he couldn’t work in the sun after living in the shade of the woods for 27 years! What a joke! And then he said he didn’t want to work on cars for his brother alone in a garage, presumably because it’s too boring! Instead he planned to return to the woods and kill himself. Please.

Most of us don’t like our jobs, but we go there every day to make a living and support ourselves and families. We try to find things that we do enjoy outside of work to sustain our happiness. This guy just couldn’t do that; he couldn’t work like a normal human being. Instead he had to steal from others and sit around his camp all day reading and listening to talk radio and music, and at one point I think he even had a TV with an antenna up in a tree! All at someone else’s expense. What a slacker!

After thinking it over for a few days, I doubt he even stayed in the woods through 27 Maine winters without heat and wearing stolen clothes. I think he walked to his family home and slept in a warm bed when it was frigid and probably got proper fitting clothes and boots, etc, from his family too. The 27 years alone thing doesn’t ring true the more I think about it.

It was interesting learning about Knight’s “case”, but I didn’t learn anything profound or even meaningful that I thought might come from living a life of solitude.

3.5 stars

This is the story of Christopher Thomas Knight, also known as 'The North Pond Hermit', who lived in the Maine woods, without human interaction, for 27 years - from 1986 until 2013.

*****

Christopher Thomas Knight grew up in in the small town of Albion, Maine with his parents and five siblings. The Knight family - which was exceptionally clever, capable and self-sufficient - kept to itself, rarely interacting with neighbors or other townsfolk. This may have factored into Christopher's decision to isolate himself from all human contact when he was a young adult.

Knight appears to have had a relatively normal childhood, during which he attended school and even had some friends. After graduating from high school, Knight got his own place and briefly worked for a security company. Knight left the job unexpectedly - without even returning his tools - and embarked on a road trip, driving all the way to Florida. Then, in 1986 - when he was 20-years-old - Knight returned to Maine, abandoned his vehicle, and hiked into the woods - where he proceeded to make his home.

Knight carefully avoided human contact while he looked for a spot to establish his campsite - a place that wouldn't be found by hikers or hunters, and which couldn't be seen from above. After trying out a half-dozen locales, Knight finally found the perfect site - a boulder-shrouded clearing near North Pond in central Maine. Knight proceeded to make this his residence, and lived there - isolated and alone - for the next 27 years. Knight didn't even contact his parents, who - he later speculated - thought he was 'off on an adventure.'

Needing supplies, Knight repeatedly broke into cabins around North Pond. Knight was a master thief, using his knowledge of security devices to good purpose. Knight never took expensive items, but stole 'necessities' like: food, candy, clothing, tents, sleeping bags, mattresses, blankets, propane tanks, flashlights, batteries, toiletries, watches, books, Playboy magazines, radios, electronic games, bug spray, small amounts of cash (in case he ever needed to go to a store), and so on.

The thief, whose identify was unknown, became known as 'The North Pond Hermit' - and people in the area grew increasingly frightened, angry, and frustrated as the vandalism went on week after week.....month after month.....and year after year. Surveillance equipment was installed in some cabins, and in a summer camp that was one of Knight's favorite targets, but the hermit was too wily to be caught. Finally, monitoring devices became too sophisticated for Knight to evade, and he was apprehended in 2013 - at the age of forty-seven.

A hermitic existence in the woods wasn't easy, but Knight perfected his routine over the years. The recluse took sponge baths, brushed his teeth regularly, and - though he never had a mirror - shaved and trimmed his hair. Knight washed his clothes, and - when his tent and bedding got moldy - changed them out for new (stolen) ones.

The hermit kept his food in waterproof containers, ate easily spoiled items first, and always buried his trash. This cornucopia of garbage - when unearthed by police after Knight was arrested - provides a fascinating picture of his 'menu.'

Fearing discovery, Knight NEVER lit a fire - even in the frigid Maine winters. That he didn't freeze to death - or even get frostbite - is almost unbelievable (to me). I get cold fingers and toes just thinking about it. Brrrrr!

The author of this book - journalist Michael Finkel - wrote to Knight in jail, while the hermit was awaiting trial for more than 1000 robberies. Knight never became 'friendly' with Finkel, but acquiesed enough to exchange several letters and allow a few visits....all of which provided Finkel with material for this book.

Finkel describes Knight's forest adventures in great detail, and tries to comprehend the reasons for the recluse's behavior. This is a tough call, since Knight himself can't explain why he went into hiding.

To try to understand Knight, Finkel researched - and writes about - hermits throughout history. The writer describes their philosophy, religion, behavior, means of survival, etc. Finkel also interviewed many psychologists, and includes their observations in the book. Finally, Finkel speculates that Knight may be on the autism spectrum, though this doesn't really explain his desire (or perhaps need) for extreme solitude.

Once Knight was arrested, he had to endure jail, interviews with police, and interactions with lawyers - all of which was very difficult for him. Eventually, the hermit was compelled to return to his family, get a job, and conduct himself like an average person....which almost drove him to suicide.

This is an interesting book about an unusual person, and would be a good primer for an outdoorswoman (or man) who likes to camp out. The book doesn't, however, provide any 'universal truths' about anything.

Still, it's a fascinating story, well worth reading.

I wasn't impressed by the book iteration of Chris Knight's story. I read Finkel's article back when it was printed in the Bangor Daily News and felt like that article was simply expanded on with little new information added, and a whole lot of speculation. While it is an interesting story, I didn't get anything new out of reading the book. I'm still glad to have read his article though.

Idealized and almost idolized when first discovered, Christopher Knight was an "invisible man" who lived in the Maine woods for an astonishing 27 years, plundering local cabins and campsites for provender, without being caught or even sighted.

When finally apprehended, as described in author Michael Finkel's fascinating portrait, Knight revealed that in all those years he had spoken only one word to any fellow human being --- "Hi." His voice was understandably rusty, he was not excited by the prospect of a reunion with his family, and he readily, some would say unguardedly, confessed to the thousands of thefts that had plagued the region all those years. Call the thefts petty, but they involved breaking and entering, after careful surveillance by Knight to make sure no one would be at home. What he stole --- food, handheld computer toys, and almost any reading material --- was as wacky as the man himself...until police saw, finally, his hideout, a tent built on a platform of "bricks" made of stolen magazines held together with electrical tape.

Though labeled a "hermit" by the press in the uproar that followed his capture (no fewer than five songs were written about him), Knight disavowed that label, and all labels, as inaccurate. Speaking, when he could be inveigled into it, about his voluntary disappearance, he simply averred, "I understand I've made an unusual lifestyle choice." Though never officially diagnosed, the possibility of Autism Spectrum Disorder loomed. The theory that such a syndrome might be genetic seemed borne out by the extreme privacy that his family insisted on when they learned of his reemergence. Didn't they worry that he was dead? Why didn't they look for him? His brother deflected the author's questions about his own feelings with a short "That's personal." In jail (eventually serving seven months of incarceration followed by one year of legal oversight), Knight refused to let his mother visit, for fear, he said, of putting her in an embarrassing situation.

Finkel draws on many parallels, as might be expected --- everything from St. Anthony to Gautama Buddha to Thoreau (whom Knight dismissed as a "dilettante") --- to explain the Christopher Knight phenomenon. But in totality, many puzzles about Knight admit of no solution: how he survived the extreme cold (he never lit a campfire), how he dealt with boredom (reveling in the silence), what he ate (mostly prepackaged mac and cheese). But more compellingly, the author and the reader will continue to wonder about the why: why Knight avoided all human contact, and if, now that he is released, he will disappear again and, as he suggested to Finkel in an unusual moment of candor, let himself die of exposure.

Thought-provoking, especially for the armchair hermits among us who like to imagine they would enjoy total solitude for a few days, but probably not for years, THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS is notable for the author's earnest attempts to learn more and his elusive subject's clear desire to reveal less.

Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott

The parts of this book that are about Christopher Knight were interesting. His behavior was certainly unusual.

The parts of the book that grate are the author's continued speculation about why. Very few people act in life with a set reason. To spend SO much time, energy and money about this one guy was rather strange. He was very intrusive, invasive even in his insistence to ferret out information.

Hearing about the author's life, other people's writings about solitude and his continued speculation about motive and thinking on Christopher's part was unnecessary. Pure space filler. The problem is there just aren't reams of facts to print.

Didn't Christopher make it abundantly clear that he did not wish to be public? Why was the author so needy about having Christopher accept him? Having Knight's acceptance was an especially odd thing to be so clearly wanting, when Knight used questionable judgement for years!

Other than wishing to reap money from this one man's odd behavior, there was no reason at all for the author to have become involved in anyway whatsoever! There is a line between research and stalking. The motives of this author need to be questioned.

Of course one wonders what was Knight thinking as he spent 27 years stealing stuff to eat and survive. Very unfortunate that his actions affected so many people for so many years. As the book ends, he is working for his older brother, but not for pay, just for room and board. The odd part here is, he could have been doing that all along instead of taking from others and violating their sense of peace and safety. He could have set up a camp on the family's own land and retreated there. He could have bowed out of society without abandoning an almost new car, sticking his brother with payments and causing his family years of anxiety and grief. He could have become a recluse on his parent's land.

I am giving this 4 stars because Michael Finkel’s writing skills, and because of the engaging research he adds in the realms of philosophy, history, literature and psychology. I had no trouble staying interested in the story, especially given the riveting beginning of the book – the “capture.” However, despite the four stars, I feel that Finkel romanticizes a rather unworthy subject. Also, the text contradicts itself. Some examples – Chris Knight supposedly hasn’t seen his reflection in 27 years, except reflected off the lake. I am pretty sure that the cottages that he broke into had mirrors. Also clearly false, is the conceit that he somehow doesn’t know the year or the day of the week (“he only knew it was weekend because of the increased occupancy around the lake.”) The guy had a radio which he seemingly used a lot. Also, he had a television set for over ten years. Knight had to have kept careful track of the days of the week because he preferred to break in during lighter occupancy times.

But the greatest unpalatable “stretch” of all is the notion that Knight had a higher calling, a thoughtfulness to his choice. The author likens Knight to Stoics, who held that “Self-control and harmonious existence with nature constitute a virtuous life” (p.115). The author, or Knight himself (?), is claiming that Knight’s lifestyle was an anti-consumerist stand. “He’d seen enough of the world from his perch in the trees to be repulsed by the quantity of stuff people bought while the planet was casually poisoned, everyone hypnotized into apathy by a billion and one little screens” (p.122).

Seriously? He stole gameboys! If you want anti-consumerist, visit the Amish.

The author claims that Knight was choosy and only took what he really needed, but later reveals “He had dozens of wristwatches, flashlights, and portable radios. He had taken extra boots, sleeping bags and jackets (p. 62).” He was sleeping on Tommy Hilfiger pillowcases. No one needs DOZENS of watches, even someone who is struck out all seasons in a tent.

“l like having backup systems, redundancies, and options,” Knight explains (p. 62). Yeah, I like redundancies and options as well. However, my budget doesn’t allow for much of that indulgence. Knight was as consumerist as anyone! He was a hoarder, gleaning his hoards from other people’s labor (theft).

Then there is Knight’s claim that he was “never violent.” Stealing from people, violating their homes by breaking and entering – you are affecting their emotions. That is a form of violence: shattering a person’s peace. The author concludes in the final paragraph that if Knight had died in his forest home, that it may have been the “perfect life.” No, no, no.

Knight is two rather contradictory things. He is a Highly Sensitive Person, with sensory sensitivity. Yet he also has the traits of a sociopath. It takes a remarkable dearth of empathy to use your burglar tools night after night, sneaking around, breaking into people’s private spaces and stealing from them. He made people nervous, afraid. This was no noble existence.

For those who are claiming Knight’s admirableness, please, there are indeed other people out there who DO live conscientious lives, close to nature and living lightly on the land. Knight was not one. He was not a Stoic or a nature harmonizer. Knight had two traits that separate him from most people – a striking ability to withstand cold temperatures, and a preference to withdraw from all other humans. Sorry, but neither of those are particularly worthy of great veneration.

In his 2017 book The Stranger in the Woods, journalist Michael Finkel investigates the extremely unconventional life of Christopher Thomas Knight, the man formerly known as the North Pond Hermit. In the book’s opening chapters, Knight is arrested for burglarizing the kitchen of a summer camp for disabled children. What’s unusual about his crime is that Knight is not robbing the camp’s pantry for profit but for survival. In fact, for many years Knight has lived off the takings from over a thousand such burglaries at the camp and at neighboring cabins and vacation homes in the woods around a lake in central Maine. For decades, property owners in the area have exchanged tales and rumors of a “hermit” living in the forest, and with Knight’s arrest their legends have come true. Shockingly, Knight has lived his entire adult life alone in the woods, speaking only one word (“Hi”) to another human being in 27 years.

As someone who enjoys solitude and often longs to “get away from it all,” I was fascinated by Knight’s story of life “off the grid.” Finkel examines Knight’s solitary existence and survival techniques in great detail. The hermit’s quest for isolation came at the cost of great hardship, as Knight had to survive brutally cold Maine winters while never even building a fire for fear of being discovered. Yet, amazingly, during all that time he never got sick or suffered a serious injury. Knight lived surprisingly close to civilization, yet avoided human contact through sheer relentless willpower. Finkel delves into the hermit’s mind and analyzes his unique code of ethics, which are loosely based on a foundation of ancient Stoicism. Knight felt guilty for every robbery he committed, and there were certain illegal and unethical lines he would not cross. Finkel interviews members of the local community for their responses to the hermit and his crimes. Their reactions run the gamut from disbelief to sympathy to rage.

Finkel also goes beyond Knight’s story to examine the human need for solitude and its naturally beneficial effects. He looks at the history of hermithood and reveals that an astounding number of people around the world today are living in some degree of hermitude, often for religious reasons. Finkel digs into Knight’s past to try to determine what would have driven this man to live his life in such a way. One can’t help but draw parallels between Knight and Christopher McCandless, the subject of John Krakauer’s 1996 book Into the Wild and another social iconoclast who lived on his own terms. (If you liked one of these books, you’ll surely like the other.) However, while one can empathize with McCandless’s wanderlust and envy his nomadic adventures, it would be difficult to covet Knight’s experience of spending almost three decades in the same camp, often through undoubtedly miserable conditions. Knight’s obstinate endurance and unflinching devotion to his odd personal convictions is so far outside the realm of conventional reason that he makes for a delightfully unfathomable enigma. I wouldn’t want to live Knight’s life, but I’m glad there’s someone out there who did.

Finkel’s writing grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go. If I had two and a half hours of uninterrupted reading time, I would have gladly finished this book in one sitting. Only in the book’s last few chapters does enthusiasm begin to flag a bit as Finkel discusses Knight’s readjustment to society. It starts to get a little creepy at that point, not only because of Knight’s asocial behavior but also because of the way Finkel stalks the poor guy. Nevertheless, The Stranger in the Woods is a captivatingly addictive, profoundly moving, and memorably thought-provoking book.

This was a most unusual event and made interesting reading. The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel and the book is described by the author as “The extraordinary story of the last true Hermit”. The author weave this story around a man Christopher Knight lives in the Maine woods for 27 years surviving on items he steals from cottages and children’s camp for survival. The author Michael Finkel hears about this man after he is captured and continues to talk to him and the story is told of how he managed to live alone without leaving a footprint so he could not be tracked to his campsite.
The book covers how he depicts Knight as a hermit because he wanted to be alone and found the only way to survive was to steal what he wanted even though he knew he was doing wrong. The author does well in explaining how Knight was creative in stealing just what he needed to set up his campsite. This site was so well hidden in the woods that many who tried to track him found it impossible. I did find this a little like a fantasy land of living for 27 years in the dead of winter. He did steal generators and could keep up with the world. Knight had a passion for books so stole a good supply of these plus magazines.
Knight was finally captured by the children’s camp manager who finally set a trap for him. While in jail the author Michael Finkel finally got Knight to visit with him but Knight was still a loner but decided to trust him. Finkel include in this book about personality such as solitude desires and hermit of years past. He describes Knights need to be alone even after being released from jail. There was an estimate of thing he stole from some people and he had to work to repay these fines.

I did find this book fascinating as could not believe I had not heard of this since he was captured in 2013. If it was in any of our newspapers or television I missed it. I am glad the author found the story interesting enough to pursue it as it makes a great book. My copy is a pre-published paperback and pages for maps were blank. I will have to get the published book in March to see what the author included as maps or pictures of the campsite since he checked out the area in Maine where this happened.

This is not an easy book to review. A lot of people have, apparently, gotten caught up in what they perceive as the glamor of the story. A twenty year-old man, who cannot conform to society, disappears into woods and survives happily for twenty-seven years (albeit stealing food from vacation homes as the essential component to his existence). There is nothing idyllic or exciting about Christopher Knight’s lifestyle. Knight is not a survivalist; he neither raises, nor hunts, traps, or even fishes for any of his food. He steals it and everything else he needs to live. In doing so, he terrorizes many of the residents of the area. The man does not seclude himself deep in the forest. He is a mere three minute walk from the closest house. He can hear human voices, motor boats on the lake, etc. His original plan, if he gets into trouble, is to blow, repeatedly, three times on a whistle. Someone will hear him and come. What Knight does is find a good hiding place and isolate himself. There is nothing alluring about survival. Those who think to the contrary, have never experienced it. What Christopher Knight endured during the frigid Maine winters is simply brutal. Even for a man who wanted to be alone, the conditions would be bleak, depressing and life threatening. Knight describes Thoreau as a “dilettante.” As that description relates to solitariness, he is correct. Thoreau frequently walked a half-hour into town and had friends visit. Knight said “Hi” to one person in twenty-seven years. Yet, Knight simply existed and found satisfaction in that. He kept no journal and offered not a single profound thought from his experience, only “get enough sleep,” which is in no way philosophical.
Finkel writes an interesting story that has implications far beyond Christopher Knight sitting on five-gallon bucket, for hours, in contemplation. Knight is a smart man; he is not a nice guy and doesn’t want to be part of society. The protagonist doesn’t fit in and thus he escapes as few of us can or will. Therein lies the conundrum. To some degree, many of us feel a piece of what Knight feels. As a people, we find many ways to cope, ranging from alcohol, drugs and sex, to meditation, therapy, religion, the list encompasses seemingly endless activities and endeavors. But, practically no one will go as far as Christopher Knight did; he does however, give us pause for reflection on our own search, societies problems, the drive to “get ahead” at all costs and thus our endless exploitation of the planet and the resultant environmental degradation.
In addition to these considerations, lies the question of justice. This man, by his own admission, perpetrated over 1000 felonies, each carrying a possible prison term of 10 years. That is over 10,000 years of incarceration. Many of the crimes were never reported, the statute of limitations had expired on most, and the thefts were mainly petty. Knight will walk out of jail having served scarcely six months, pay minimal ($1500) restitution, do community service, therapy and probation. Some people will think that’s right, some will not. While those whose property was stolen during that twenty-seven year period bear the loss, others will handsomely profit from Knight’s story. For Christopher Knight, it can be hoped, once his probation has ended, he will find what he seeks.

A few years ago in the magazine GQ I read an interesting story about a man who lived in the Maine woods for nearly three decades, before finally being caught and arrested. The story struck me as a fascinating and I filed it away in the deep recesses of my memory, but otherwise moved on. Now, the author of that article, Michael Finkel, has published with Knopf an expanded version. This new volume, The Stranger in the Woods, offers a fascinating account of how one man can survive alone for so long.

The story opens in medias res as Christopher Knight, the Hermit of North Pond as he came to be known, broke into a summer camp for the disabled and raided the food pantry. The year was 2013 and Knight by this point had been completely devoid of human interaction since 1986. Residing in the same campground nearly the entire time, he had become a familiar, unseen presence to the town. Over the course of those many years, he committed over one thousand burglaries, taking care to never invade a home while the owner was present. The things he stole were small (batteries, food, books, the occasional wrist watch) and almost always related to his survival. Nonetheless, his camp itself became almost the equivalent of a cabin, with areas where he slept, a kitchen, laundry room, and even a small battery-powered television so he could watch the news. The campsite was less than a three-minute walk from the nearest cabin, but because it was situated among a cluster of rocks on all sides, he was only once briefly discovered by a group of ice fishermen a few months before his arrest. What finally resulted in his capture was the passage of time. Technology improved and eventually a motion sensor set off the alarm leading to his arrest.

His proximity to humanity may make some readers question whether or not Knight was a true hermit, but as the author points out, almost everyone needs some support from the outside world. Throughout the book, Finkel cites examples of other hermits, such as the Desert Church Fathers of early Christianity or Buddhist monks in Imperial China, who valued seclusion, but were still regularly supplied food and other essentials from visitors. It might also evoke comparison with Chris McCandless, the subject of Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, but I do not think this is a fair comparison. McCandless was a foolish, mentally ill young man who tried to live off the land in Alaska, but starved to death within a single season. Knight, on the other hand, may have raided cabins, but also avoided injury, never became sick, stayed warm during the harsh New England winters, and remained undetected for a full generation.

His behavior, though, begs the question of why. Finkel was one of only two people Knight corresponded with during his time in jail (the other later became his girlfriend) and, over the course of multiple letters and jailhouse visits, they bonded over their shared love of the outdoors. Knight provided his life story and little in it hinted at his future path. He came from an isolated, self-reliant family who never abused him, he was employed until shortly before he disappeared, and even had a few friends in high school. Finkel hints that mental illness or a disorder like Asperger’s syndrome may have played a contributing role, but perhaps equally important was Knight simply did not care for people. His family never bothered to report him missing and Knight slowly learned to survive in isolation. Time became a question not of days, weeks, or years, but rather seasons or cycles of the moon. Most people have moments were they are tempted to abandon their life, but Knight’s willingness to actually do so attracted attention worldwide upon his discovery. While much of the public viewed Knight as an oddity or a potential source of esoteric wisdom, Finkel instead treats him on his own terms as someone who simply wanted to be left alone.

Once Knight was arrested, adapting to the modern world proved jarring. At first he gripped about the dirty clamor of jail, but later came to fear dealing with the unregulated outside world even more. Television and books gave him some reference points for social interaction, but Knight had to accustom himself to reading human faces again, which often left him disoriented because they carried so much information relating to social cues and emotion. When he would try to make small talk with the other prisoners, the subjects of his conversation were thought of as bizarre and greeted with blank stares. Eventually, both the prosecutor and the judge decided putting him in prison for years would be too cruel a punishment, and instead Knight was placed on a probation program. His family supported Knight as he integrated back into society, but in one of their last interactions, he admitted to Finkel he occasionally brooded over suicide and wished the author would no longer contact him. Thus far, the Hermit of North Pond has not returned to the woods permanently, but a part of me knows he would be happier there.

Reminds me of the High Adventure of Eric Ryback,..everyone was nuts about this 20yr old's solo trek from Canada to Mexico,..later turned out he was hitchhiking a lot of it. This Knight guy,..out of all places on earth, chose a camp very close to his home,..hard to believe it was just a coincidence. Plus, he feels so much guilt and shame over stealing,..but feels zip about how distraught his parents must have felt with his disappearance? He is conscience stricken about stealing food, yet he blithely saddles his brother with the brand new car loan that he cosigned for? I don't buy this story, at all. Parking your new car on a trail head and just getting lost for the sake of it,..no food, no gun or fishing rod? It might work for, say, Forest Gump, in a movie, but, ..mark my words,..a couple years from now we're all gonna feel pretty foolish for buying this story.
Think about it: He starts to steal food because he unexpectedly gets hungry after not eating for 10 days? Right. He just ditched a new car worth several thousand bucks, but he is horrified about stealing food?
And, c'mon,..anyone who's spent time in the woods knows that deodorant attracts racoons, bears, etc,..Yet he prefers Axe deodorant over all the other ones he steals and uses? Even leaving these unused in the camp would be a needless risk. And, after a few weeks he wouldn't even notice his own natural smell,..so 27 years of deodorant is a major red flag. Reminds me of how Scott Peterson, under interrogation, couldn't remember what kind of bait he was using on his fake fishing trip. A minute detail becomes a glaring red flag.

Christopher Knight sounds very interesting. And, while there's only so much that can be done with a quasi-memoir book on someone who's lived alone for almost 30 years and who doesn't want to talk much, overall, the book's not bad. But, that' s primarily due to the subject.

For the record, a couple of things up front.

First, I think Knight did indeed live in the woods for the full time he stated, without outside help. (Sidebar: While I don't think a gun would have helped him in the long term, I think a fishing rod would have done nicely; I'm surprised he never stole one, and I'll assume he had opportunities to do so.)

Second, while I do not think he has autism or Asperger's, I do indeed think he has a schizoid personality. Please note that I did not add "disorder" or "neurosis" to the end as, except in cases that cause more social dysfunction than Knight seems to have, I don't consider it a neurosis.

Third and related? I know the court slapped the label of "alcoholism" in there. And, I am curious of that. Knight admitted his drinking got worse as he got older. But, either Finkel never asked, or else Knight never said, how bad it was. (That said, if Finkel did indeed visit Knight's site and do the "forensic archaelogy" he claims, he took a powder in not verifying alcohol consumption.

==

And that leads to the other half of the review. Finkel has several problems. The foremost, noted by many, is injecting himself into the book too much. Even worse, IMO, was violating the very intimate trust that Knight gave him with the "Lady of the Woods" comment. Finkel never should have called professional counselors or others and otherwise shouldn't have violated Knight's secrecy. If he seriously has suicide as a rational, planned act somewhere in his mind, that's his own business.

Related, Finkel never challenged that hermitage website that claims Knight wasn't a true hermit because he's "parasitic." Hermits in general are parasitic; they just, in most cases, have willing enablers.

Finally, as part of his self-injection, Finkel never stops to think that if he really had nearly $20,000 for a cabin for Knight, it would have been far better spent on other causes.

==

As for Knight the person? I find him not only largely sympathetic, thefts aside, but fairly empathetic. At the same time, I do see him as close to neurotic in his degree of schizoid personality, not only the personality itself but, pre-conviction, how unwilling he was to adapt even modest or moderate amounts to interact with larger society. Perhaps aging, as well as the criminal case, has indeed softened that.

Good luck, Chris.

After reading Finkel's 2014 GQ story about Christopher Knight, I was eager to read this longer account of Knight's stealthy life of solitude in the woods of Maine. A well-researched book that weaves together Knight's account, with that of law enforcement, neighbors, and even terse engagements with Knight's very private family, THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS is a well-crafted story of intrigue that keeps that reader turning pages to the very end. In the final quarter of the book, Finkel reflects on the meaning of solitude in our hyper-connected world. These reflections offer some insight into Knight's story, but don't do much to elevate Knight's story beyond the level of an odd curiosity. THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS offers a thoughtful telling of a captivating story, yet it is not the sort of significant book that I would re-read multiple times

What an interesting read...This book takes you through the account of The Hermit, Christopher Knight, who just up and left society for the last 27 years.

It was fascinating to read his tactics of survival not only through long, though winters but at the expense of the local cabin owners.

This is not typically something I would read, but I am glad that I did. The writing was very well done, and although the author explains other "Hermits" from throughout history, the story continues to move at a good pace.

I highly recommend this quick read.

What a compelling read! This is one that will stay with me for a long time. In short, it's the story of 20 year old Christopher Knight who literally walks into the woods and lives alone there for the next 27 years. The author, Michael Finkel, has woven a thoughtful account of Knight's experiences. Finkel is a poignant and respectful storyteller who allows the reader to become close to Knight even as Knight keeps his distance.

I believe that Knight is quirky and brilliant. He has chosen an unusual course for his life but it makes sense especially after reading about Knight's family. The family has perhaps a different way of interacting with the world but there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, I have more respect for them because they live their lives in a quiet, simple way. I am drawn to both nature and solitude but clearly do not have the courage or the confidence to set the busyness of the world aside and live a life carved in stillness, observation, and reflection. There is some discussion in the book regarding a mental illness diagnosis but there's also valuable discussion about what it means to be human and all the ways that that humanity can be safely manifested.

It is clear in the opening chapters that the way that Knight survives the 27 years is by stealing from the vacation homes and facilities in the area. I'll join the chorus that says that stealing is wrong but I will notice that Knight's voice is the loudest voice in that choir. He did steal relatively small items from (always) unoccupied homes but he never physically hurt anyone, he never took things just to take them (there was always a purpose), and he managed his entrances and exits in ways that did not destroy property. He acknowledges complete responsibility for this behavior and knows that what he did was wrong. He is not perfect.

Knight is not perfect and he certainly doesn't fit easily into categories. On a practical level, he was resourceful and strong. In a profound way, he offers us an example of what it means to truly be with oneself. His entry into the woods was driven by his desire to be alone. Once there, he took the opportunity to notice the thoughts in his head. He read and reread texts (yes, that he stole from the residents in the area) that engaged his mind. How brave to just sit with all he was reading and thinking! His insights into modern ways of living and what it means to be alone are profound. His voice is worth listening to.

Kudos to Michael Finkel for telling Knight's story with dignity and kindness. It could have been such a media circus type story but in Finkel's capable hands it becomes a reflective narrative about aspects of our culture today. I have to admit that, upon finishing the book, I was immediately drawn to the idea of spending a year alone on NorCal's Lost Coast (or maybe just a weekend....). Five star review for sure!

Christopher Knight is possibly the most solitary known person in history.
Capturing Knight after 27 years..... known as the "North Pond Hermit" was like
"netting a giant squid".
When captured he was wearing a pair of LandsEnd jeans - size 38 - with a brown belt:
Stollen goods!

Knight's story continued to be equally as fascinating after he was captured as much as
why Knight chose a reclusive life in the woods of Maine in the first place.

There are the details about how Christopher Knight survived: the many-many-MANY break-ins ......stealing food, supplies, books, etc. ......surviving the elements of the seasons... LIVING IN A WORLD WITHOUT WALLS......for *27 years*.....surviving psychologically... sometimes meditating and living as a hermit-criminal. ( I would have given him food - clothes - flashlights - batteries - and books too)....

There is this fascinating 'cliffhanger- of -stories'....that happened once Knight was captured. Journalist from all over the world we're trying to get hold of Christopher Knight's story.
Letters, phone calls, and visitors we're pouring into the jail. A woman offered to marry him. He was offered money, cleaning services, donations of all kinds. Knight didn't accept ANY of the gifts!!!
Every TV network wanted their hands on the story. Five songs were written about Christopher Knight.
People were curious. People wanted to help. People wanted to learn from Christopher Knight. Was he an explorer of life? And if so... what words of wisdom could he pass on? Or was he just crazy?

I HAD HEARD 'OF' THIS STORY BEFORE LISTENING TO THE AUDIOBOOK.
..........I'd have to had been a 'hermit', not to.
"The Stranger In The Woods", WAS SOOO MUCH MORE POWERFUL TO LISTEN TO MYSELF....... than everything I had previous read about it. In fact, I read tons of reviews ways back when this book first came out --/as I never thought I was going to read the book. I felt I 'got' the story. What else did I need?
THE EXPERIENCE WAS MISSING UNTIL I LISTENED MYSELF!!!
NO REVIEWS SPOILED 'my' EXPERIENCE!!!! NOT AT ALL!!!!!!
'KNOWING' ABOUT THIS STORY WAS NOT THE SAME!!!!!

I was expecting to be semi-critical. I 'mostly' belong with the believers that we should LEAVE THIS MAN ALONE....."he shouldn't have to talk if he doesn't want to". -- but I think what was created with this book 'is' a contribution to MANY PEOPLE INCLUDING
Christopher Knight.

Knight was shy about most things - except literature and history. He would talk about books he read.
I had heard that the author was a jerk - from a few readers.
I don't feel this way. As I listened to this audiobook--my respect for author, Michael Finkel elevated. Finkel gave us ( the reader) background information---historically- about other 'hermits' which added a great context to Christopher Knight's story. We see from past history - monks - and other spiritual 'hermit's who found inner peace and wisdom. Hermits are a PRIMAL HUMAN INTEREST STORY!! I DID UNDERSTAND WHY FINKEL WANTED TO INTERVIEW KNIGHT. I ALSO FELT FINKEL WAS TENDER - COMPASSIONATE - and RESPECTFUL OF KNIGHT!!

I found it very sweet when after Michael Finkel wrote Knight a hand written letter -- a man close in age as Knight - who also loved to spend long periods of time alone with himself. (Enjoyed camping and reading - alone).....
Knight wrote Finkel back and said, "it was very sweet that you wrote me a personal note".
Point is. .. THE LONGER I LISTENED ... I came to believe that Knight and Finkel developed a 'lovely' friendship of equal respect.

I'm glad I read it....It gave me a bigger picture than I had previous thought. Whatever I 'thought' I knew about this story 'before' .....didn't come close to the magnitude of the actual facts.

Elyse Jody

In a world as frenetic as is this present age, the thought of escaping the chaos and living alone in an isolated spot is appealing to many. Its appeal lasts as long for we dreamers as it takes to realize how difficult such a task would be. Shelter, food, water, protecting the isolation, the very isolation itself, all become factors in “succeeding” in such an endeavor. Most humans in the Western Hemisphere get edgy when they are “isolated” for a few hours; solo, long-distance hikers rarely go more than 48-hours without contact with another human. Christopher Knight spent 27 years alone in the Maine woods and had contact with another human only once in that time span. In that exchange he spoke one word, “Hi.”
Christopher Knight was reared in a close-knit, isolated, emotionally-closed family of eight (five boys, he being the youngest and one girl). He was taught in that loving atmosphere to be respectful, hard-working, self-sufficient, industrious and extremely private. His decision to withdraw from society was, from all appearances, sudden and remains unexplained.
His “home” while in the Central Maine woods (the exact location is on private land, therefore its location was not given) was three minutes from a cabin, yet was so well hidden that he had to lead the authorities to its location after he was apprehended. He kept the site neat (he shoveled the snow, swept the pine needles from the area, buried his refuse), efficient (his sleeping, cooking, shower, restroom, trash areas were handy but separate) and sustaining (he was there for 27 years, the trash dump took a work crew, using heavy equipment, days to clear out, it was near a seasonal population who could afford to replenish goods he had stolen so he could steal them again). He stayed there all that time without ever building a fire (he used propane taken from the area’s cabins for heat and cooking).
The book was written using the information gathered from five letters, seven, one-hour interviews and two short meetings after Mr. Knight was released from jail. The author noticed a news bulletin noting “The Maine Hermit” had been caught and chased the story. Mr. Finkel has an affinity for being alone and mistakenly thought that would be a connection between he and Mr. Knight. Due to the limited experience he was allowed of Mr. Knight (the interviews were stilted and limited by Mr. Knight’s unwillingness (inability?) to be forthcoming with information), much of the book is the projection of Mr. Finkel’s expectations and experience.
The values Mr. Knight learned, then claimed as his own, from his parents abhorred thievery, but his need to remain unnoticed and alone won out over his ethics. He reports and appears to be ashamed of those actions and willingly admitted his crimes when questioned. The justice system mandates some measure of “understanding” for crimes committed and the court-mandated psychologist was successful in giving him a diagnosis, but that “explanation” for his actions does not cover the motivation for such actions. He had not been abused, was not without means (he had a job and familial support when he “disappeared”), was rational and well-ordered in all aspects yet choose to no longer participate in society. This was not a quest for enlightenment or a religious commitment, he only wanted to be alone in the quiet. Mr. Knight choose to be a completely free individual, as much as he could be such a person. He lived as he wished (he did rely upon society to support that withdrawal however), did as he pleased without any rules or limits being placed upon him. Had he found a way to sustain his life without taking others possessions, he would have lived a truly free life, as it was, he lived a life of isolation provided by the wealth of others.
Upon his return to society, he learned of the death of his father and did not want to see his mother due to the shame he felt at stealing. When Mr. Finkel last had contact, he was living with his mother, working for his elder brother salvaging automobile parts, he had completed the year of mandated actions of the court and would continue on probation for a few more years. He wanted no further contact with Mr. Finkel. This is a fine book to open a discussion of freedom, society-as-culture, family-dynamics and the idea of truly living alone. There is no sex, foul language or violence and there is affirmation of abiding by the laws of the land.

"Silence, it appears, is not the opposite of sound. It is another world altogether, literally offering a deeper level of thought, a journey to the bedrock of the self."

Can you think of a time when you isolated yourself for some quiet time? No communication with the outside world or other beings? I can remember a time in my mid twenties when my routine was as follows: after work on Fridays, I would turn off my phone, head to the grocery store for some weekend staples, pick up my holds from the library, and make one final stop at the mailbox for my bundle of three Netflix films. Thereafter, I would shut myself in at home with awesome reading material, my dogs, and some classic movies (usually long epics that would slowly smolder over the weekend). I craved this quiet time away from people, even on social media, which to this day I find grating. Work and social interactions just depleted me during the week, and I found these weekends restorative at a very hard time of my life. It was about this time that I read Into the Wild, and it moved me to my core. I am an introvert, but that doens't mean that I don't enjoy people and socializing. However, at my core, I am most content when on my own with my animals. It warms my heart when I read about others who are similar.

When I heard about this book and Knight's quarter century lived out of doors, alone but surrounded by people, I knew I had to read it! I was not disappointed at all, because I could understand what he was seeking, albeit his solace at times put him in great danger of losing his life.

"The dividing line between himself and the forest, Knight said, seemed to dissolve. His isolation felt more like a communion. 'My desires dropped away. I didn’t long for anything. I didn’t even have a name. To put it romantically, I was completely free'...This loss of self was precisely what Knight experienced in the forest. In public, one always wears a social mask, a presentation to the world. Even when you’re alone and look in a mirror, you’re acting, which is one reason Knight never kept a mirror in his camp. He let go of all artifice; he became no one and everyone."

This was a fantastic read! I wish it hadn't ended so abruptly. I was hopeful but a little sad, too. The afterword and acknowledgment pages provided a lot of supplemental reading material on solitude and other hermits that I'll definitely be looking into.

When I first heard about this story of a man disappearing into the woods and not reappearing for twenty-seven years, I imagined someone living off the land. Hunting and fishing and growing crops. It never even donned on me that an individual could survive for that length of time solely on the food and items stolen from surrounding cabins and camps. But that's what Christopher Knight did.

Chris Knight was twenty-years old when he entered the woods. He had started out from Florida. While driving through Maine, Chris took a detour and followed small roads and dirt paths until his car could go no further. With little more than the clothes on his back, he hiked into the woods and decided to stay. Except for a couple of accidental encounters with hunters and cabin owners, he had no human contact for all of those twenty-seven years.

Author Michael Finkel leaves no stone unturned in his account of Chris's self-imposed isolation. He asks and answers every conceivable question one might have related to this extraordinary story. The how and the why. The details of a life spent alone. He interviews locals, some who felt the burglaries of Chris Knight were harmless, and others who spent years afraid of the Hermit of North Pond. The author also does a good job of talking about other similar cases of people living in isolation: solo sailors sailing around the world, Japanese soldiers on remote islands in the Pacific, and countless others who choose a similar life. The result is a compelling study of human nature.

No story about living away from society would be complete without also talking about solitary confinement. There are plenty of studies that show that solitary confinement for extended periods is inhumane and can lead to severe mental problems. Chris Knight did not suffer such maladies, though he did develop an aversion to people and noise. He also was not confined to a cell.

The story after Chis is arrested and reunited with his family is equally compelling. Don't expect a Hollywood ending, though. Chris Knight is not a prisoner suddenly freed from years of imprisonment, eager to take in all of the wonders of technology and invention. He is a man who longs to return to the woods.

“...sometime in the 1990s, he encountered a hiker walking in the woods. “What did you say?” asks Vance. “I said, 'Hi,'” Knight replies. Other than that single syllable, he insists, he had not spoken with or touched another human being, until this evening, for twenty-seven years.”

Dang, that's some solitude right there. After no identifiable antecedent, Christopher Knight walked into the woods of Maine at the age of twenty years old and never looked back. In an effort to support his lifestyle, he burglarized unoccupied vacation cabins for food and supplies, racking up over 1,000 incidents of burglaries and becoming a well-known and well-feared ghost of the area of Pond Lake. Journalist: Michael Finkel built enough rapport with Knight to complete interviews with him which resulted in a GQ article and then this book. In The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, Mr. Finkel discusses Knight's upbringing, his exit from civilization, his lifestyle of "aloneness", the town's response to having a hermit in their backyard, the true crime element, and my personal favorite: the act of solitude itself with the reasons why people from past to present in varying cultures voluntarily engage in it. I enjoyed learning about this subject through the perspective and detailed research of a quality journalist. Never once does Mr. Finkel justify Knight's criminal behaviors or advocate for them to be overlooked or rationalized. Both Christopher Knight and Mr. Finkel hold Knight responsible for his actions, as does the judicial system, so don't let an assumption to the opposite dissuade you from reading this book. Check it out!

My favorite quote:
"Modern life seems set up so that we can avoid loneliness at all costs, but maybe it's worthwhile to face it occasionally. The further we push aloneness away, the less we are able to cope with it, and the more terrifying it gets. Some philosophers believe that loneliness is the only true feeling there is. We live orphaned on a tiny rock in the immense vastness of space, with no hint of even the simplest form of life anywhere around us for billions upon billions of miles, alone beyond all imagining. We live locked in our own heads and can never entirely know the experience of another person. Even if we're surrounded by family and friends, we journey into death completely alone."

Solitude. The prospect of it can offer joy for some and fear for others. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel shares the story of a man who spent 27 years alone in the Maine woods.

Christopher Knight suddenly quit his job, drove himself from Boston down to Florida, then back north toward his home in Maine, where he set himself up in a camp in the woods, away from other people with the limited supplies he had in the car he abandoned. Resorting to stealing the food and supplies he needed to survive during the twenty-seven years he spent alone, Knight quickly became a legend as the hermit of North Pond. After getting caught stealing as a result of extensive effort from law enforcement, Knight is incarcerated for his thefts, where his story can finally be shared with the world he left behind.

As someone who relishes time spent alone and in nature, I could relate with the desire to stay away from society for an extended period of time - although I don't think I'd be able to survive as Knight did, particularly the harsh winters. Knight's story and character was well told through Finkel's interviews with him and Knight's tale was complemented with details of other types of hermetic living and thought processes related to a solitary life throughout the ages of human existence to provide some perspective to the points of view surrounding and associated with Knight's experience.

Thought provoking: how noisy, jangled, discordant, rude and unwelcoming the life around us has become. Christopher Knight, hermit, protagonist here, rejected all that, and went to live in the Maine woods, in absolute solitude, for 27 years. To do that, he stole from surrounding cabins: food, necessaries, books, etc. and so becomes the anti-hero as well as the hero of this true story. (He was eventually caught and did jail time. Finkel interviews the victims and recounts their tales sympathetically.)

The author has done extensive research and put the hermit phenomenon in historical context. "No surprise with the Asperger's. For a while, every smart and shy eccentric from Bobby Fischer to Bill Gates was hastily fitted with this label, and many were more or less believably retrofitted, including Isaac Newton, Edgar Allan Poe, Michelangelo, and Virginia Woolf. Newton had great trouble forming friendships and probably remained celibate. In Poe's poem, Alone, he wrote that "all I lov'd -- I lov'd alone." Michelangelo is said to have written, " I have no friends of any sort and I don't want any." Wood killed herself."

Short chapters, easy reading at approximately 200 pages. I was reading four books at the same time; this is the one I wanted most to get back to.

I picked this book up at the local library and thought it would be mostly a piece of fluff. I remembered reading a number of years ago about the hermit finally being caught and the years he had spent in the woods. First thought was that somebody pumped up the story and created a book. I was wrong about the book being fluff and pumped up. It's a great read and I'm glad Chris put up with Michael Fink long enough to get his viewpoint across. The extra information on hermits and ways of coping with society and life were strong foundations to the story. Great book !

I seldom will read a book... then turn around and read it a second time. I knew after I read the first page, it had me hooked. I did nothing this weekend but read it from cover to cover in two days. What a great yarn, even better that it's a true story. Tomorrow I'm starting it again only this time I'm going to read it slower so I can enjoy the details. A guy who's lived in the woods for 27 years and how he did it while at the same time managing to elude the authorities. I'm putting this in my 'keeper' pile of books.

This was an unusual book for sure. Describing the journey into the mind of another is difficult if really even possible. The author does a good job of attempting it. He does not try to justify or take sides with the "Hermit". He approaches it as an investigative journalist to report what he saw and experienced. Good questions for discussion in the back. This is the first book I've read in which I find the discussion questions of interest, possibly because I struggle with solitude and seemingly solitude and unsocial behavior myself.
The author decides the Hermit, after being brought out of solitude for 27 years, learns to "tolerate" the world. A sad commentary. Yet, the author also has to comment, "The world is a confusing place, meaningful and meaningless at once." And here we find the conflict. Finding meaning.
All that said, neuroscience has shown that we are hardwired for connection, so hermits of any society are for the most part anomalies.
I appreciate how he balances the pros and cons of solitude with references in the back. This pulls the book together for me.

When Christopher Knight was 20 years old, he quit his job, drove to rural Maine, got out of his car, leaving the keys on the console and walked into the woods.

That was in 1986. In 2013, after some 27 years of living as a hermit, he was arrested while stealing food from a summer camp.

Finkel covers nearly 3 decades of living entirely outdoors in the woods of Maine. To survive, Knight broke into nearby cabins, more than a 1,000 times. He only took what he needed. Food, batteries, old clothing, gas. He never broke a window or a door or took anything of value. Some residents started leaving things out for the hermit to take.

This book examines the history of solitude and hermits as well as the benefits and severe effects of living this life. The trial is short and really no one wanted him to go to jail, but he did. And when he got out he had no idea how to live in this world and wanted more than anything to be left alone.

There were some really good quotes in here on solitude. My favorite is from French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, "because to me the most desolate solitude seems preferable to the society of wicked men which is nourished only in betrayals and hatred."

A most interesting read, Mr. Finkle!

~ from the Library

THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS is a quick read. I managed --and I'm not a fast reader at all-- to finish it in one sitting. Mere hours.

The story is interesting in that it's fascinating that anyone could survive the winters in Maine in a tent for 27 years. I can well imagine that he came close to starving and freezing to death.

Still, I suggest this ONLY AS A LIBRARY read. There are some details but not enough to tantalize the survivalists. There are also some character details but nothing I would say goes beyond what you might get from a good newspaper account.

I'd be very interested in a book by the Chris Knight himself although I get the impression that the man is redefining his history as he goes along.

“This loss of self was precisely what Knight experienced in the forest. In public, one always wears a social mask, a presentation to the world. Even when you’re alone and look in a mirror, you’re acting…” At the age of twenty, Christopher Knight literally walked away from everything and disappeared into the forests of Maine, where he remained for the next twenty-seven years. When he was arrested while stealing food from a nearby campground facility, it was the first time he’d had human contact in over a quarter of a century! Knight’s story, told by Michael Finkel, makes one wonder many things - mostly, why? Secondly, how? Lastly, was it worth it? All of these questions, with so many others, are answered through jailhouse interviews. I knew from the very beginning that this is a lifestyle I would fail at - and quickly. Knight’s ingenuity allowed him to escape from the modern world. His solitude was very much a choice - he lived only a three minute walk from people; and, in fact, could often make out other’s conversations during the summer’s busy time! I found that through Finkel’s explanations, I had genuine compassion for Knight’s desires to escape modernity. I’m about as social as one comes, so this was a fascinating story into a loner lifestyle that perplexes me.

An interesting read about the story of Christopher Knight's life spun with great examinations about solitude and society. I picked up this book while visiting New York this New Years which was quite ironic but I'm happy I did! Ever since I heard about this book from a Vice article I've been wanting to read it and I was not disappointed! This book in a way was soothing for me and also made me do a bit of self reflection as well. I already hike and that's partly why I picked this book up but reading it made me want to camp out in the mountains for months on end and really experience nature! This book was educational as well explaining the scientific and historical implications of solitude. Definitely recommend! This has been one of my favorite books so far it made me feel more connected to the deeper desires within myself and I have a feeling it will do the same for many others!

Like many people, I've often wondered what it would be like to live alone, away from society. Maybe on the side of a mountain, or on a deserted island. The solitude could be welcome, although I know it would be hard work. After reading The Stranger In The Woods, I realize that this would not be the life I imagined. Chris Knight made the choice that was right for him at the time, for his own reasons. Knight is a very intelligent man, and he would have to be to pull off some of the feats described in this book. I never realized how feasible such a task could be. I live at the foot of the Appalachian mountains, and I've often heard that there were people hidden in the woods, and I grew up with stories of Vietnam veterans up there. I didn't think it was possible for someone to live like that for a long period of time. After reading Knight's story, I understand how possible it really is. It's amazing how incredibly close he came to capture at times, yet he still managed to slip back into his shell and survive. Overall, this is a very interesting book and it's one I will recommend to my own friends.

I enjoyed the first few chapters, but then the book lost it's punch, I really felt like Finkel started to throw in whatever bits of information he could to flesh out the story so that he could get it published as a book. Finkel offered a little too much of his "armchair psychology," and circled around the same information. I feel that Finkel romanticized Knight too much. Knight was a thief and although he has mental health issues, he knew right from wrong.

I had never heard of Christopher Knight (well, not this Christopher Knight) until I read this book. Knight disappeared from the public and lived in the Maine wilderness for 27 years before he was caught stealing food from a nearby camp. How he managed this makes for a fascinating read. Author Michael Finkel corresponded with Knight and visited him in jail a few times before Knight and his family rudely cut him off. Finkel outlines Knight's survival tactics and discusses the psychological traits of hermits in short, taut chapters that keeps the reader turning the pages. It is a story that brings up a lot of questions that the author manages to answer. This is a totally engrossing book and one that I would highly recommend.

Chris Knight spent 27 years in the Maine woods. How he did it makes for a fascinating read. The book opens with his capture while pilfering food from a local camp. We then learn how he lived, under what conditions, and why he routinely raided the unoccupied homes of his neighbors. The author tells how he met Chris while he was in prison and much of the tale is told through Chris.We learn how he did it but the question why is not really answerable. Interspersed are discussions ranging from reactions from the neighbors (most of whom do not like him) to what makes a person a hermit. All of this makes for a riveting read. The book is slight in length but the subject is compelling.

This was an entertaining, interesting, short read. If you are looking for in-depth information on the "hermit", how he survived, what his life was like before & after -- you won't get that. It's not in-depth, but it covers basic information on everything. The hermit himself is extremely interesting and parts of the book are funny. I like the author's style. He does include interesting facts from the perspectives of history, philosophy, and literature/authors -- which don't provide much info but point you in the direction for further investigation. I was very disappointed that there were no photos. But it is a good read and a book I am going to keep on my shelf. I only keep those that I think I will read again, otherwise, I pass them along. I do recommend this book.

When I first heard about this story of a man disappearing into the woods and not reappearing for twenty-seven years, I imagined someone living off the land. Hunting and fishing and growing crops. It never even donned on me that an individual could survive for that length of time solely on the food and items stolen from surrounding cabins and camps. But that's what Christopher Knight did.

Chris Knight was twenty-years old when he entered the woods. He had started out from Florida. While driving through Maine, Chris took a detour and followed small roads and dirt paths until his car could go no further. With little more than the clothes on his back, he hiked into the woods and decided to stay. Except for a couple of accidental encounters with hunters and cabin owners, he had no human contact for all of those twenty-seven years.

Author Michael Finkel leaves no stone unturned in his account of Chris's self-imposed isolation. He asks and answers every conceivable question one might have related to this extraordinary story. The how and the why. The details of a life spent alone. He interviews locals, some who felt the burglaries of Chris Knight were harmless, and others who spent years afraid of the Hermit of North Pond. The author also does a good job of talking about other similar cases of people living in isolation: solo sailors sailing around the world, Japanese soldiers on remote islands in the Pacific, and countless others who choose a similar life. The result is a compelling study of human nature.

No story about living away from society would be complete without also talking about solitary confinement. There are plenty of studies that show that solitary confinement for extended periods is inhumane and can lead to severe mental problems. Chris Knight did not suffer such maladies, though he did develop an aversion to people and noise. He also was not confined to a cell.

The story after Chis is arrested and reunited with his family is equally compelling. Don't expect a Hollywood ending, though. Chris Knight is not a prisoner suddenly freed from years of imprisonment, eager to take in all of the wonders of technology and invention. He is a man who longs to return to the woods.

“...sometime in the 1990s, he encountered a hiker walking in the woods. “What did you say?” asks Vance. “I said, 'Hi,'” Knight replies. Other than that single syllable, he insists, he had not spoken with or touched another human being, until this evening, for twenty-seven years.”

Dang, that's some solitude right there. After no identifiable antecedent, Christopher Knight walked into the woods of Maine at the age of twenty years old and never looked back. In an effort to support his lifestyle, he burglarized unoccupied vacation cabins for food and supplies, racking up over 1,000 incidents of burglaries and becoming a well-known and well-feared ghost of the area of Pond Lake. Journalist: Michael Finkel built enough rapport with Knight to complete interviews with him which resulted in a GQ article and then this book. In The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, Mr. Finkel discusses Knight's upbringing, his exit from civilization, his lifestyle of "aloneness", the town's response to having a hermit in their backyard, the true crime element, and my personal favorite: the act of solitude itself with the reasons why people from past to present in varying cultures voluntarily engage in it. I enjoyed learning about this subject through the perspective and detailed research of a quality journalist. Never once does Mr. Finkel justify Knight's criminal behaviors or advocate for them to be overlooked or rationalized. Both Christopher Knight and Mr. Finkel hold Knight responsible for his actions, as does the judicial system, so don't let an assumption to the opposite dissuade you from reading this book. Check it out!

My favorite quote:
"Modern life seems set up so that we can avoid loneliness at all costs, but maybe it's worthwhile to face it occasionally. The further we push aloneness away, the less we are able to cope with it, and the more terrifying it gets. Some philosophers believe that loneliness is the only true feeling there is. We live orphaned on a tiny rock in the immense vastness of space, with no hint of even the simplest form of life anywhere around us for billions upon billions of miles, alone beyond all imagining. We live locked in our own heads and can never entirely know the experience of another person. Even if we're surrounded by family and friends, we journey into death completely alone."

Solitude. The prospect of it can offer joy for some and fear for others. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel shares the story of a man who spent 27 years alone in the Maine woods.

Christopher Knight suddenly quit his job, drove himself from Boston down to Florida, then back north toward his home in Maine, where he set himself up in a camp in the woods, away from other people with the limited supplies he had in the car he abandoned. Resorting to stealing the food and supplies he needed to survive during the twenty-seven years he spent alone, Knight quickly became a legend as the hermit of North Pond. After getting caught stealing as a result of extensive effort from law enforcement, Knight is incarcerated for his thefts, where his story can finally be shared with the world he left behind.

As someone who relishes time spent alone and in nature, I could relate with the desire to stay away from society for an extended period of time - although I don't think I'd be able to survive as Knight did, particularly the harsh winters. Knight's story and character was well told through Finkel's interviews with him and Knight's tale was complemented with details of other types of hermetic living and thought processes related to a solitary life throughout the ages of human existence to provide some perspective to the points of view surrounding and associated with Knight's experience.

Thought provoking: how noisy, jangled, discordant, rude and unwelcoming the life around us has become. Christopher Knight, hermit, protagonist here, rejected all that, and went to live in the Maine woods, in absolute solitude, for 27 years. To do that, he stole from surrounding cabins: food, necessaries, books, etc. and so becomes the anti-hero as well as the hero of this true story. (He was eventually caught and did jail time. Finkel interviews the victims and recounts their tales sympathetically.)

The author has done extensive research and put the hermit phenomenon in historical context. "No surprise with the Asperger's. For a while, every smart and shy eccentric from Bobby Fischer to Bill Gates was hastily fitted with this label, and many were more or less believably retrofitted, including Isaac Newton, Edgar Allan Poe, Michelangelo, and Virginia Woolf. Newton had great trouble forming friendships and probably remained celibate. In Poe's poem, Alone, he wrote that "all I lov'd -- I lov'd alone." Michelangelo is said to have written, " I have no friends of any sort and I don't want any." Wood killed herself."

Short chapters, easy reading at approximately 200 pages. I was reading four books at the same time; this is the one I wanted most to get back to.

I picked this book up at the local library and thought it would be mostly a piece of fluff. I remembered reading a number of years ago about the hermit finally being caught and the years he had spent in the woods. First thought was that somebody pumped up the story and created a book. I was wrong about the book being fluff and pumped up. It's a great read and I'm glad Chris put up with Michael Fink long enough to get his viewpoint across. The extra information on hermits and ways of coping with society and life were strong foundations to the story. Great book !

I seldom will read a book... then turn around and read it a second time. I knew after I read the first page, it had me hooked. I did nothing this weekend but read it from cover to cover in two days. What a great yarn, even better that it's a true story. Tomorrow I'm starting it again only this time I'm going to read it slower so I can enjoy the details. A guy who's lived in the woods for 27 years and how he did it while at the same time managing to elude the authorities. I'm putting this in my 'keeper' pile of books.

This was an unusual book for sure. Describing the journey into the mind of another is difficult if really even possible. The author does a good job of attempting it. He does not try to justify or take sides with the "Hermit". He approaches it as an investigative journalist to report what he saw and experienced. Good questions for discussion in the back. This is the first book I've read in which I find the discussion questions of interest, possibly because I struggle with solitude and seemingly solitude and unsocial behavior myself.
The author decides the Hermit, after being brought out of solitude for 27 years, learns to "tolerate" the world. A sad commentary. Yet, the author also has to comment, "The world is a confusing place, meaningful and meaningless at once." And here we find the conflict. Finding meaning.
All that said, neuroscience has shown that we are hardwired for connection, so hermits of any society are for the most part anomalies.
I appreciate how he balances the pros and cons of solitude with references in the back. This pulls the book together for me.

When Christopher Knight was 20 years old, he quit his job, drove to rural Maine, got out of his car, leaving the keys on the console and walked into the woods.

That was in 1986. In 2013, after some 27 years of living as a hermit, he was arrested while stealing food from a summer camp.

Finkel covers nearly 3 decades of living entirely outdoors in the woods of Maine. To survive, Knight broke into nearby cabins, more than a 1,000 times. He only took what he needed. Food, batteries, old clothing, gas. He never broke a window or a door or took anything of value. Some residents started leaving things out for the hermit to take.

This book examines the history of solitude and hermits as well as the benefits and severe effects of living this life. The trial is short and really no one wanted him to go to jail, but he did. And when he got out he had no idea how to live in this world and wanted more than anything to be left alone.

There were some really good quotes in here on solitude. My favorite is from French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, "because to me the most desolate solitude seems preferable to the society of wicked men which is nourished only in betrayals and hatred."

A most interesting read, Mr. Finkle!

~ from the Library

THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS is a quick read. I managed --and I'm not a fast reader at all-- to finish it in one sitting. Mere hours.

The story is interesting in that it's fascinating that anyone could survive the winters in Maine in a tent for 27 years. I can well imagine that he came close to starving and freezing to death.

Still, I suggest this ONLY AS A LIBRARY read. There are some details but not enough to tantalize the survivalists. There are also some character details but nothing I would say goes beyond what you might get from a good newspaper account.

I'd be very interested in a book by the Chris Knight himself although I get the impression that the man is redefining his history as he goes along.

“This loss of self was precisely what Knight experienced in the forest. In public, one always wears a social mask, a presentation to the world. Even when you’re alone and look in a mirror, you’re acting…” At the age of twenty, Christopher Knight literally walked away from everything and disappeared into the forests of Maine, where he remained for the next twenty-seven years. When he was arrested while stealing food from a nearby campground facility, it was the first time he’d had human contact in over a quarter of a century! Knight’s story, told by Michael Finkel, makes one wonder many things - mostly, why? Secondly, how? Lastly, was it worth it? All of these questions, with so many others, are answered through jailhouse interviews. I knew from the very beginning that this is a lifestyle I would fail at - and quickly. Knight’s ingenuity allowed him to escape from the modern world. His solitude was very much a choice - he lived only a three minute walk from people; and, in fact, could often make out other’s conversations during the summer’s busy time! I found that through Finkel’s explanations, I had genuine compassion for Knight’s desires to escape modernity. I’m about as social as one comes, so this was a fascinating story into a loner lifestyle that perplexes me.

An interesting read about the story of Christopher Knight's life spun with great examinations about solitude and society. I picked up this book while visiting New York this New Years which was quite ironic but I'm happy I did! Ever since I heard about this book from a Vice article I've been wanting to read it and I was not disappointed! This book in a way was soothing for me and also made me do a bit of self reflection as well. I already hike and that's partly why I picked this book up but reading it made me want to camp out in the mountains for months on end and really experience nature! This book was educational as well explaining the scientific and historical implications of solitude. Definitely recommend! This has been one of my favorite books so far it made me feel more connected to the deeper desires within myself and I have a feeling it will do the same for many others!

Like many people, I've often wondered what it would be like to live alone, away from society. Maybe on the side of a mountain, or on a deserted island. The solitude could be welcome, although I know it would be hard work. After reading The Stranger In The Woods, I realize that this would not be the life I imagined. Chris Knight made the choice that was right for him at the time, for his own reasons. Knight is a very intelligent man, and he would have to be to pull off some of the feats described in this book. I never realized how feasible such a task could be. I live at the foot of the Appalachian mountains, and I've often heard that there were people hidden in the woods, and I grew up with stories of Vietnam veterans up there. I didn't think it was possible for someone to live like that for a long period of time. After reading Knight's story, I understand how possible it really is. It's amazing how incredibly close he came to capture at times, yet he still managed to slip back into his shell and survive. Overall, this is a very interesting book and it's one I will recommend to my own friends.

I enjoyed the first few chapters, but then the book lost it's punch, I really felt like Finkel started to throw in whatever bits of information he could to flesh out the story so that he could get it published as a book. Finkel offered a little too much of his "armchair psychology," and circled around the same information. I feel that Finkel romanticized Knight too much. Knight was a thief and although he has mental health issues, he knew right from wrong.

I had never heard of Christopher Knight (well, not this Christopher Knight) until I read this book. Knight disappeared from the public and lived in the Maine wilderness for 27 years before he was caught stealing food from a nearby camp. How he managed this makes for a fascinating read. Author Michael Finkel corresponded with Knight and visited him in jail a few times before Knight and his family rudely cut him off. Finkel outlines Knight's survival tactics and discusses the psychological traits of hermits in short, taut chapters that keeps the reader turning the pages. It is a story that brings up a lot of questions that the author manages to answer. This is a totally engrossing book and one that I would highly recommend.

Chris Knight spent 27 years in the Maine woods. How he did it makes for a fascinating read. The book opens with his capture while pilfering food from a local camp. We then learn how he lived, under what conditions, and why he routinely raided the unoccupied homes of his neighbors. The author tells how he met Chris while he was in prison and much of the tale is told through Chris.We learn how he did it but the question why is not really answerable. Interspersed are discussions ranging from reactions from the neighbors (most of whom do not like him) to what makes a person a hermit. All of this makes for a riveting read. The book is slight in length but the subject is compelling.

This was an entertaining, interesting, short read. If you are looking for in-depth information on the "hermit", how he survived, what his life was like before & after -- you won't get that. It's not in-depth, but it covers basic information on everything. The hermit himself is extremely interesting and parts of the book are funny. I like the author's style. He does include interesting facts from the perspectives of history, philosophy, and literature/authors -- which don't provide much info but point you in the direction for further investigation. I was very disappointed that there were no photos. But it is a good read and a book I am going to keep on my shelf. I only keep those that I think I will read again, otherwise, I pass them along. I do recommend this book.

An account of a boy/man who never fit in. A phenomenon that vibrates in me. Perhaps there is an aspect in all of us that "never fits in", but this account of Chris Knight is extremely moving and enlightening! A source of both emotional disturbance and a realization that living with one's self is an extremely important dimension of human life, which many of us run from. Now that I am indeed alone, experiencing loneliness as well as a unsettling contentment, I am so grateful that a friend of mine gave me this book to read. I probably will reread it again, at least once more.
Thank you to Michael Finkel for this labor of love and expertise!

What am I missing here? The guy commits burglary of homes for almost 30 years. What if someone's 16 year old daughter had been staying home alone. This is not Les Miserables and stealing bread to eat. This guy had a livelihood but chose to live alone and steal. To the best of my knowledge Walden (whom the hermit says was a fake) didn't burglarize people's homes. If you care to see a true hermit, watch the video "Alone in the Wilderness." Luckily I checked this out from the library and didn't pay full price. I was only able to half way through it but I assume in the end society owed it to the hermit for his imagined seclusion from the real world. I assume the store reviewers will reject this truth as abject to their $80 billion owners beliefs.

An interesting tale of a man that hid in the woods for 27 years. Finkel does a great job of walking the line on this story. He doesn't praise or condone Chris Knight's actions. Instead, he tries to give a fair representation of events with historical information peppered in. I feel like the additional information about historical hermits added to the story because it reveals some similarities and differences between Knight and others that have separated themselves from society in the past.

I think the pacing on the book is good. It grabbed my attention, so I kept wanting to come back to it even when I only had short periods of time to read. The only real problem I had with it is the abrupt ending. Considering Knight's right to privacy it makes sense that Finkel isn't able to reveal a lot about what happened to him after he is released from prison. It just left me wanting more, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I posted a review on Goodreads about this book but I am now expanding on it after learning more about the author. I found, in this book, that the author was very manipulative and less-than-forthcoming with the subject. I've since learned that the author was fired from the esteemed NYT for fabricating a story. Had I know this, I would not have purchased this book, just on principle. Also, the author references St. Anthony, the hermit, and says he's the saint of lost and found. A sloppy mistake. St. Anthony, the hermit, is the saint of various illnesses. St. Anthony of Padua is the saint of lost and found; he took his name in honor of the hermit St. Anthony.

I did borrow this from the library as opposed to purchasing. It was a fascinating read. Some have a problem with the manner in which Mr. Knight was able to obtain food and essentials (theft) but the book is so much more than that. What makes one person decide to avoid society all together, in every conceivable way, and be content with himself? I don't agree with the thievery either but it did not detract from this man's odyssey in living his life by himself, for himself. The author presented the facts and did not judge.

Back in the Paleolithic era, I once took a course (pass/fail) in what at the time was called deviant psychology but I could never get into it because the professor devoted more time to exposition on why he decided to study psychology than discussion of the case studies in the text. This book is a lot like that. Now, from what the author conveys, the subject person of this discourse wasn't very communicative regardless of whatever strategies the author attempted to employ to get him to open up about the overwhelming majority of factors I think most readers might question but in the end the book leaves the impression of being an opportunity missed.

Christopher Knight decided he was tired of life as he knew it. He decided to quit his job and wanted to get lost. And get lost he did. He spent the next 27 years living alone in the woods. He broke into houses for food, batteries, clothes, sleeping bags, books, and magazines. He evaded many searches for him. Finkel visits Knight in jail to try to get to know him better. He is not open to having close relationships but allows Finkel to ask questions. Finkel tries to become Knights friend but they only end up staying acquaintances. I believe if Knight wouldn't have been caught breaking into a camp he would have most likely died in the woods.

There's a lot here that's about the nature of solitude, the history of hermits, etc, and without that this book would have been half its length. The story of Christopher Knight reads like a high school book report of facts strung together in choppy sentences. The writer chooses his subject, so as a reader I feel reasonable in faulting him for trying to draw out a collection of facts and details well beyond their scope into a book-length story.

The Stranger in the Woods is the true story of a man, Chris Knight, who, at the age of 20, entered a forest in Maine and remained there for 27 years, having no contact at all with other people and surviving by stealing from cabins surrounding his campsite. This book is a hard one for me to rate. I enjoyed most of this book, but a lot felt like filler. For the first half of the book, I couldn't put the book down. It was fascinating to read about Knight's life. The second half had a bunch of extraneous information about psychology, hermits, and other "insights" that I really didn't care about. I was also uncomfortable with how, towards the end of the book, the author seemed to insert himself into Knight's life. The book could have been 50-75 pages smaller and it would be much improved.

I'm not sure which one is more annoying: the hermit or the writer of this book.
I guess I would say the writer because he simply will not take the hint from Knight to leave him alone. He thoroughly annoyed me, the reader, by his persistence (stalking) so I can't imagine what it felt like for Knight.
Knight himself... not much better. I was enthralled by his story, even overlooking the central theme of the burgling, until I got to the part where he stole gaming systems and batteries to run them. So, he isn't out there totally being all rustic, solitary and reflective; he's avoiding society and playing video games, no matter how outdated. My admiration of his solitary lifestyle and survival dropped almost completely at that point.
There's not much more to this than a thief living in the woods for a really long time in order to not really be anything. And someone taking his own love of intermittent camping seriously enough to think it would be interesting to everyone else.
Not worth purchasing; if anything, get it from the library.

This is another case of truth is stranger than fiction. Although Chris is odd, he was surprisingly very organized and methodical while he was camping out. He had devised solutions to almost all of his needs: water, biological needs, food, entertainment, etc. At the end, he seems accepting of the fact that he had to return to society. I wonder what his current state is in spring of 2017. I got the feeling the author was somewhat obsessed with Chris. He kept trying to see Chris and his family repeatedly, although they told him to stay away. I'm sure someone will make a movie from this book.

This was indeed an extraordinary story. How ironic Christopher Knight, who wanted no attention, became, at least to my way of thinking, a beacon of sanity for those of us who are disgusted (albeit with conveniences) with the state of the world. Although, it was painful to know he was struggling so to live with others, I really appreciated his insights and his love of the natural world. We could all use a dose, a big dose of that. Where, oh where, can we find some balance in our lives so we don't have to live in the woods, but live quietly at home and still connect with others in a meaningful way. I guess we will just have to keep our hearts open and be gentle with ourselves and others and hope that will allow us to be more awake and strong when we need to be. I just needed to say how much this book touched me and I was very impressed with Michael Finkel's ability to explain Christopher Knight, especially how we try to label people who really don't fit in any of our categories. Isn't that refreshing? I guess there are still some things that can't be known. We should all appreciate the wonder that is humanity and not try to always put ourselves in neat boxes. Also, wasn't it illuminating that Christopher was a reader of books that have stood the test of time? When will these books be forgotten? I fear that will come too soon.

I found this book to be utterly fascinating. It’s easily the most interesting non-fiction I’ve read in a long while. As it points out in the book’s description, there have often been times where I, like everyone, have fantasized about “walking away from it all,” but it’s always just been a passing fancy. To read this account of a man who not only did it, but walked away and stayed away (mostly) for nearly three decades was incredible. What struck me the most about the whole concept, the thing that I’ve kept thinking about long after finishing the book, is the difference between living a solitary life and living completely on one’s own. Even though Mr. Knight was living a life of complete solitude, he still needed a community of sorts to survive. His survival was wholly dependent on the people from whom he stole, the people who produced the goods he stole, etc. He didn’t walk away from it all, it only looked like he had. It’s made me internally examine the different communities I’m part of, and how easy/hard it would be to severe those ties that bind—and if I would ever even want to. It was an incredible book, and one that almost reads like fiction, so it’s a great entry point for readers who claim to find non-fiction boring. I will be recommending this one far and wide.

Was Knight a true hermit? it is doubtful. according to the definition of hermit and according to the book itself he doesn't quite fit the description. Was he a loner? absolutely, Recluse? no doubt. Hermit? probably, true hermit??? not really. He wasn't the first, and definitely won't be the last. That being said, his story is very interesting. Brings back memories of Ridgerunner, The story of William Moreland I read more than 30 years ago. There are many similarities between the two. The book is well written and supplies all the information at the disposal of the author. We would like to know more about Christopher Knight and/or people like him, but recluses are not open to exposing themselves. Finkel did a good job with what he was given and we can be thankful for that.

Reading the story about Knight made me feel deeply sad for his trial. Though he stole from others he only wanted to be alone. As an outsider looking in and as someone who needs social interaction, it’s frightening to read about Knight. How he shunned all forms of human interaction. It’s such a rejection of the bonds humans share that it’s scary. But he wasn’t a bad person. Just someone who wanted to be alone. How many people are there in the world suffering in quiet amidst swarms of people simply wanting to be left alone? While Knight had the courage to voice his desire. No matter the cost. It’s a very thought provoking book.

The story of Christopher Knight, or "The Last True Hermit" is simultaneously compelling and frustrating. It presents a basic story structure that hits all the right key points but all of the details feel wrong.

Upon hearing of a man who lived in solitude for 27 years, the first questions that come to mind are the classic "How?" and "Why?" The "How?" is answered in the first few pages by the fact that Knight systematically robbed local camps and cabins, all within three miles or so of his own encampment in the woods of Maine. And the "Why?" Even Knight himself claims to not be entirely sure. This isn't the "successful" version of "Into the Wild" in the romantic notion of extreme self-isolation and self-sufficiency. While Knight was determined to not interact with society in a face-to-face manner, his very survival still depended on others in an immoral way. Knight also regularly exposed himself to books, radio, and television, suggesting that he did not so much want to rid himself of other people insomuch as rid himself of interaction.

All of these frustrating details turn it into a different kind of story though. Knight's story is unique and begs questions that other wilderness memoirs don't ask, at least in the same way. The enigmatic Knight doesn't always give answers though, and author Michael Finkel oscillates between conjecture to fill in the blanks and asking the reader to accept a lack of information. Sometimes this feels right, and sometimes it feels lazy.

Overall, however, this was a very intriguing book. While some questions remain unanswered and some speculation by the author feels presumptuous, the story leaves you thinking and wheedles into your mind in the way all good books should.

I found the story of Chris Knight, the hermit, both interesting and disturbing. It is a fascinating story of twenty-five plus years of survival in a forest in the central part of the state of Maine. Mr. Knight creates his personal area in a forest located close to a camping area. He survives by stealing food and supplies from the cabins located there. Stealing to survive? This went against my concept of a true hermit. Once caught, he has a hard time adjusting to the current world. I find myself wondering how Mr. Knight is doing.. The author does a good job of presenting possible conditions that may have led to Mr. Knight’s hermit life. It is a thought-provoking story that will stay with me for some time.

Has a person ever existed who is more annoying than the author of this book, one Michael Finkel? How many times does a man and his entire family have to tell you to GET LOST before you begin to mind your own business? I guess the Knights are a non-violent family because most families would have pulled a gun on this guy long before his tenth visit to see Chris Knight, who had clearly told him to leave him alone.

Listen, the psychoanalysis of Chris Knight was BORING and unnecessary. Michael Finkel's constant demanding to force himself upon Chris Knight was borderline criminal and, in fact, only stopped when Knight threatened to call the police if Finkel didn't leave him the hell alone. I get it. Finkel was desperate to write a book and he didn't care how annoying he was or how many people he annoyed. His personal agenda was what was most important to him. Yuck!

Chris Knight is an interesting guy and for that reason and that reason ONLY I'm giving this book four stars. Regardless of how interesting Knight is, I am tempted to bring this review down to three stars because Finkel so grates on my nerves. Do I think Knight is crazy? No. I think he just wanted to be left alone (not that Finkel could care less). Was Knight a criminal? Yep, and he admits it, but his desire to be alone was so strong that he saw no way to accomplish this goal without pilfering bare essentials. No excuse, but that is what it was.

Did Knight actually survive the Maine woods winter after winter with no heat of any sort? I sure couldn't do it. Maybe he did.

Chris, the perfect job for you would have been working for the national forest service as a loner fire spotter in a tower in the woods. With a criminal record, that's out I guess but keep checking the papers. There must be jobs for loners. Check out the comedy movie "A night in the museum." Maybe you need to get some survival gear, some fishing equipment, a rifle and a bunch of ammo and move off the grid. People survive alone off the grid without stealing.

Michael? Mind your business, man! You're embarrassing yourself.

????The Stranger in The Woods by Michael Finkel. Have you ever wanted to just walk away from it all? Family? Cell phones? Tablets? Computer? Job? Just throw in the towel and hide? No one does it quite as well as Christopher Knight. Surviving hot summers and harsh winters and no human contact for 27 years in the forest in Maine until one night by a series of unfortunate events he gets arrested for over 1000 counts of burglary. The details from Chris himself make life seem like it would be so much simpler alone away from the noise. An amazing story if you need a slow down and relax kind of read!

Twenty-seven years living as a hermit in the Maine woods, through the frigid winter, no contact with other humans--what's that all about?! That's the question journalist Michael Finkel addresses in this book. Finkel, who developed a relationship with Christopher Knight, the hermit of North Pond, following his capture in the Maine woods, explores this incredible story with thoughtfulness, insight and great respect. Knight did not fit the image of the scruffy, bearded hermit in most of our imaginations; he was clean, shaven, and casually dressed. I remember when his story made the Maine newspapers and wondered how such an experience could be possible. This well written book presents the "story behind the story" using Knight's own words together with Finkel's detailed research and descriptions. A fascinating read that raises the core issues of who we are as human beings, in solitude and in communion with others.

A captivating true story of a man who survived alone in the Maine woods for some 27 years.

Chris Knight was always a shy individual who preferred spending time alone. At 20, and for the next 27 years he made the Maine woods his home, breaking into cabins for food and other necessities which included an ongoing supply of books to feed his constant thirst for knowledge.

A fascinating story and what led to his being discovered and arrested. The scientific information and research on hermits was interesting but, the way the story was executed could have been improved.

We listened to this audio book on a recent road trip (just 5 cds) - good narrator.

I think Mr. Finkel got a lot of book out of Chris; perhaps quite a bit more than Chris was willing to give him. The phrase, everyone wants more out of life, rings false for some. Chris didn't want more out of life, he wanted less to the point of having almost nothing. That's what he wanted and that's what he got. Or rather "took". The book says he was a mere hours walk from activity. I wish he has had the courage to find the meanest of jobs. Just enough to buy for his needs. If everything had worked out perfectly for Chris, I wouldn't have gotten to read the book.

What an amazing book…..two amazing men – Christopher Knight and the author, Michael Finkel!! As fascinating as Knight’s 27 year odyssey of living alone in the woods without any human contact is, the excellence of Finkel’s research and tidbits of historical and medical knowledge was also an eye opening experience. If you enjoy a good wordsmith as much as I do, you will love this book and come away with a sense of empathy and wishing you could use some of the things you’ve learned on Jeopardy!!

Had I been reading a novel featuring the character Chris Knight, I would have set it aside concluding that no person could be as odd as Chris. Having read about the life of Chris Knight in Michael Finkel’s non-fiction book titled, The Stranger in the Woods, I have a new understanding about solitude and how strong the desire for solitude can be in a person’s life. Knight spent twenty seven years living alone in the Maine woods without contact with other humans. Any reader longing for a bit more solitude will come away from this book with the insight that one can get too much of any good thing.

Rating: Four-star (I like it)

Amazing story and extremely well written. Hermit--and unfortunately, thief--Chris Knight is a fascinating individual. He wondered why anyone would spend their days in a cubicle looking at a computer screen when they could be living his life in the woods. And yet it was those people spending their days working who provided Chris with all the food, clothes, tools, books, etc., that he stole from them--a thousand thefts by his reckoning--in order to survive for decades in the woods. Still, this reader cared about Chris, who obviously has some emotional issues, and understood why the author did too.

This book is an amazing read and, all the more so, because it is true! Chris Knight made a life- changing decision at age 20 and left society to live in the Maine woods. He stayed there for 27 years, only coming out because he was arrested for stealing from neighboring cabins and had no choice. Never feeling as though he fit into society, Chris did what others only dream about. He relied on himself and nature and, in a sense, became one with his environment. I am in awe of his tenacity and perseverance. Kudos to the author for never giving up on this endeavor to bring Chris' story to light!

The story of the hermit is very well written and I was especially interested in the historical notes about hermits and the various analyses done of Christopher Knight's motives and quirks. I did find it hard to be sympathetic with someone who is such a misanthropist and yet survives completely by stealing from others. I found no indication in the book that if Knight had been allowed to return to the woods, he would have hesitated to return to the same method of survival. I didn't find his admissions of guilt and regret convincing. I listened to the audio version of the book.

Christopher Knight walked away from society leaving behind family and entered the vast woods of Maine. He lived as a hermit for 27 years defying all odds that he could survive alone. This is a remarkable story that leaves the reader either envying his chosen life of solitude with no human contact or disbelieving that anyone would pursue such a life of aloneness in a harsh environment. Although there is a documentary available online about him, I would think a movie based on Christopher’s life as a hermit would be a sellout.

No idea what makes this a compelling or interesting story. And to suggest there is anything "Robinson Crusoe" like about the story is nonsense. This is the story of a misanthropic, likely, sadly unbalanced man with no interest in having his story told, presented as some sort of a seer or intellect to be heard. Again, nonsense. Man walks into the woods. Man is arrested and taken out of the woods after being caught stealing from locals. Two uninteresting sentences then drawn out into nearly 300 pages. This is the author's need to tell a non-story, not a compelling tale, with reviews by paid critics who portend a best seller by misrepresenting the story. Complete nonsense.

What a fascinating story. I read this book over a few days. I couldn't put it down.

Finkel does a great job of giving background on the history of hermits, and even the science behind why humans generally are a social species. There's no explaining the Hermit's actions - his quest to be alone far exceeds reasonable explanation.

I wish the author had gotten more interviews with the Hermit because he probably could have created an even better, longer book. Having said that, I don't have any complaints. Great read.

Though Christopher's means of supporting himself were very wrong and hurt a lot of people,
I've no doubt be suffered an extreme case of social anxiety disorder and who knows what other psychological disorders. I can relate very much to his problems relating to other people and surviving a hostile social environment (the world we live in). It always makes me anxious and I hate it. I'm happy to learn he's at least trying. I wish him the courage to continue . He is by far not alone.

This is one of those books I didn't want to end. I almost didn't want to know the ending. I loved every page. What an interesting story to hear of a modern day hermit. I've hiked much of the Appalachian Trail in Maine and I know how desolate much of that area is. And to think someone lived year-round in those conditions in a tent, all without every having a single campfire, and for 27 years. The author certainly uncovers an interesting story and has the skill to present it beautifully. And the hermit, Christopher Knight, is presented exactly as he is, unjudged.

Interesting true story about a guy who just really wanted to get lost, so he did. He survived by stealing from local cabins but was careful to only take what he needed; a respectful thief (thousands of times over the years.) I kept reading because I was hoping there would be some "reveal" of why he did what he did, but that didn't happen. The book was based on a brief written correspondence and a handful of in-person meetings with Chris, who really didn't say much, and whose family had NO interest in talking with the author. It seemed like more of a journalistic report of what happened with very little insight.

I really didn’t like this book. There was nothing gripping about it beyond the hermit’s arrest which happened very early on in the book. The author’s personality was rather off-putting and there was too much of him in the story.

As a lifelong outdoors woman, I understand (and live) the pull of Nature. What greatly disappoints and astounds me is that this man made his life choices on the backs of others. AND that he is getting kudos for it. He chose to not only steal from others - which is bad enough - but to make people afraid in and for their homes. Which is absolutely heinous. He had no right to do any of that, and he should not be glorified for it. He could have relied exclusively on roadkill, grubs, vegetation, creeks, etc. for sustenance. He could figured out replacement clothing without stealing from others. I'm reminded of the movie Bonnie & Clyde, where the main characters were treated as heros for being killers because they had gorgeous clothes and a cool car.

This is one of the most engaging and enjoyable books that I've read in quite some time. The idea of the solitary lifestyle has always interested me, but the story of Chris Knight is almost beyond belief. Mr. Finkel does an admirable job of humanizing a very unusual central character, and pieces together a coherent narrative from a variety of sources. This book is a real page turner.

Highly recommend this book for nature lovers who have ever thought about escaping from the world and living as a "hermit" for awhile. Christopher Knight parked in the woods of Maine and walked away without any money, food, or supplies. He lived for 27 years hidden in a camp in the forest just three minutes walk from civilization. He broke into vacation homes along the lake over 1000 times to steal food, supplies, and books. I thought this book was fascinating, especially Knight's description of how jail and reentry to the world made him "crazier" than the solitude of the woods ever could.

I had a hard time putting this book down but was disappointed that there wasn't more detail in his day to day life in the woods. The author included a lot of history of "hermits" through the ages that I skimmed over.

Totally unexpected, this short book (about 200 pages) investigates the person who spent some 27 years living alone in the Maine woods, without human contact. In addition to interviewing Chris Knight, the "hermit", author Michael Finkel considers others who have rejected the social life, and compares Knight with them. Whatever you thought a hermit might be like, it probably isn't like Knight. A very thoughtful, somewhat troubling, and compassionate look at a fascinating human being.

I married into a family where every principal member expressed the sentiment " I want to live in a cave, in the middle of a thousand acres...alone'". I never really understood this and just listed as anti social behavior. This book helped me understand the how and why of this 'mindset'.
Very easy read and sensitive to Chris, the main character. I'm not exactly sure he's a hermit, but I hope he finds peace.

How anyone can give this book anything other than five stars is way beyond me. Books that I can't easily put down and go do what I need to be doing (like sleeping) are rare and absolute treasures. One complaint though and I have this complaint about a lot of books and that's, why no pictures? I understand why there are no pictures of Chris Knight but his camp, maps, his neighborhood, etc. I'll hate it when this book ends, which is almost. Thanks Mr. Finkel.

This is a book that I thought could have and should have been more interesting. Christopher Knight seems at first glance to be a somewhat romantic figure in that he walked off into the woods. But Finkel misses several opportunities to go into greater detail on the rational behind what he did. Rather he portrays Knight as this demon infested, quirky character who is a presence without being anything more. He makes him out to be a mythic figure without going into any detail. He dips into telling us a survival story without telling us anything more than the bare bones so we know it was a struggle but again lacking details. That's the theme of the book is that we're given the thousand yard view and anytime more detail is called for Finkel peels off.

To be honest it's OK but hardly memorable.

Here is a story about someone who is different from most of in society and chose to live outside society. A great thought piece that should make us think about who we are and why we live the way we do.

This book was well written and quite interesting. There was more in depth information on types hermits through the centuries and the various speculations on why this man just walked away one day than what I would have liked. But in the end, what can you write if he doesn't talk with you or help you understand? Just like the way he wanted his life to be.

Very well-written. I am grateful that the author took the time and put in the effort to tell us about the life of the extraordinary Chris Knight. Solitude is not valued by our society today, but there is much to be learned from it and from Mr. Knight's life choices.

A friend told me about this man after he'd read the GQ article upon which it's based. He argued that the man was a purist, that he would've gotten away with it if only.... Even then, just on the basis of hearing about it, I argued that the act of breaking into peoples' houses to take what you deem to be dispensable to them is not only intrusive but a disturbing pathology completely at odds with whatever peace might be gained by solitude. And that was before I found out the guy played Tetris, watched TV, listened to Rush Limbaugh and lived off a lot of mac-and-cheese.

I mean, really, what's the point, then?

I hated myself, he says, every time I broke into a house. I knew it was wrong, he says. And he did it a thousand times. What does it profit a man, if he shall lose the whole world and still not gain his soul?

If any lesson is to be gained from this experiment in extremism it's that our own minds - not those dreaded "other people" - are our greatest prison and torment. How to liberate oneself is the stuff of philosophy and/or religion and is for each person to find out for themselves.

All of the -isms touch on the virtues of solitude but also the empty chase of acquisition (and Lordy, Knight did a lot of acquiring). They also admonish us not to harm others. By inserting himself repeatedly - on his own terms, despite notes people left ("tell us what you need and we'll leave it for you") - into the lives of those dreaded "other people", by surveilling them, outsmarting them and violating THEIR private refuges - Knight certainly exhibited a malignant pathology that put me in mind of Bernie Madoff. The mixture of misanthropy and bottomless insecurity that he displays in his interviews with the author supported this impression.

What Knight did was not about solitude - just the hours spent having to spy and plot and exploit the resources of "other people" must have taken an extraordinary amount of time and energy, as most massive deceptions do. What Finkel did - when he admits, early in the book, to having been discredited as a journalist for creating a composite subject - was not about journalism.

It was about control. Controlling the narrative, you might say. Finkel's repeated insertion of himself - both into Knight's life and the book's narrative - paralleled his subject's desperate need to hew the world to his designs.

How sad, since time spent in nature often blesses us with a better understanding of the limits of our control, the paucity of our little imaginations. Lying beneath the stars, visiting the Grand Canyon, craning one's neck to see the top of a sequoia - people say "it puts things in perspective." It teaches us respect - of our right size and our relation to the universe and each other.

Like it or not - we're all connected. In the thin, middle sections, Finkel touches on themes of solitude, self-reliance, and purism. Like others have noted, there's still something missing - something the author and his subject don't seem to have ever stumbled upon in the woods. Maybe that thing is the cultivation of respect - for ourselves, each other and for the world we all must share.

A fascinating story of a flight into reclusiveness for survival and painful reentry. I found it to be well written, heartfelt, believable and an intriguing commentary on modern life - and hermetic living.

6 stars ! So good. One of the best books, to only a few that hold that coveted spot, I have ever read. I didn't want it to end. I was so interested and intrigued by this man. This one will stay at the top of the pile forever ! Mark my words, this WILL be a movie someday !

I read this in 48 hours...simply mesmerizing! Chris Knight is my new hero...and Michael Finkel my new favorite author. For a person like me, who reads on average two books per week, this is saying quite a bit!

This was so interesting, I remember when I used to live in the Appalachian mountains we were always told there was a hermit living in the woods in a log cabin, one time we found evidence that he existed but we never did see him.
I have always been intrigued by this desire of certain individuals to be isolated and I wonder why they have to be forced to conform to society, if they are happy living alone then why can't they remain.
I finished reading this quickly and I did not want to put it down.

I thought a lot about what to rate this book. While I found it a compelling read, excellent writing, I thought that the writer's methods of trying to get a hold of subject were intrusive and made me feel uncomfortable, especially the end. It made me think a lot about boundaries and the question of agency. That is the reason behind the 2 stars. The "last true hermit," well, I found Christopher K. Knight impressive - decades of surviving in Maine winter, life in solitude. It was fascinating to read about him.

A humble man who just wanted to live in the woods as a hermit is caught and punished. Its an action that makes you wonder about our freedoms and rights to love this great planet. But what freedom do we really have?

A short book. Utterly profound, fascinating. "Nutrient-rich". An important inquiry into the human spirit. A perfect bio - almost as if a team of reporters condensed the most pertinent aspects of this STARTLING story in the most clear language possible. I was glad the author shared the professional opinions for the psych community; it simply confirmed how 1000% pointless they usually are.

This was a great book! Very interesting true story backed up with studies and facts. I really enjoyed something different. The author was very thorough in providing enough information for the reader to draw his or her own conclusion abt th veracity of Chris’ story

This is the extraordinary story of noted writer Michael Finkel who wanted to write a book on the level of The Man Who Quit Money or better yet, Into the Wild. He found the perfect vehicle in a man named Christopher Knight, a "hermit" who lived in the Maine woods by himself for 27 years. The problem is that Mr. Knight was not a very compliant subject and his family wanted nothing to do with Mr. Finkel. He wrote the book anyway. Seven visits with Mr. Knight while he was in jail and a couple visits when he was released and a few quotes from Thoreau and he had enough to fill 191 pages and call it a book. He even got Sebastian Junger to write a blurb about how he thought about the book for two weeks which only serves to diminish the credibility of Mr. Junger rather than uplift the book. The book ends up telling us more about Mr. Finkel than about Mr. Knight and rather than being a meditation on living without human contact it is a meditation on the extremes of Mr. Finkel's untrammeled ambition. Skip this one and wait for the real deal.