Book Review: A Stranger in the Woods

So here's a little something you don't know about me: I am an HGTV junkie. I love seeing what people make on Flea Market Flip and I think Zombie Home renovations are inspired. I even watch the Tiny Home shows, although with a family of 7, there is no way I can do that. 

I envy them though, and their ability to go off grid. I think everyone thinks about walking away from the drama in the news and the hate in society. Maybe we are bored with our jobs and just want to get back to a simpler time. I personally would love a trip to the woods, filled with silence, yoga, hiking and book reading. I just don't think I could live that way forever. 

Christopher Knight had every intention of doing just that. In 1986, he simply walked into the Maine woods and disappeared from his life. He settled in a secluded area of the woods and lived there undiscovered for 27 years. Sure he stole food and necessities from area cabins, but in his mind that was the only way to survive and maintain the peace he had found. 

You may remember the headlines of this story from Christopher Knight's capture in 2013, but in The Stranger in the Woods, author Michael Finkel helps you to understand some of the logic behind that solo existence. What is the definition of a true hermit? Could he have truly disappeared for almost three decades? And how will he re-enter society now? Reading this book might not make you want to follow in his footsteps, but it will make you think about another way of life, and seeing the world from someone else's view is something I would recommend to everyone. 

Thanks for stopping by,
Kristie