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9781101911532
1101911530
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SPL_Shauna
Jun 26, 2017
For introverted lovers of the outdoors, the idea of escaping into the woods alone for weeks can seem like a balm. But, Christopher Knight managed to vanish into the Maine woods for 27 years without a trace, beyond a legend based on the tiny absences he left behind in sustaining himself. Known to some as the North Pond Hermit or The Hungry Man, his thousands of small, self-sustaining thefts unsettled a community for a quarter century while he lived his peace.
This book was my first experience reading nonfiction with an unreliable narrator. The author is a journalist who admits issues in the past with fudging his stories (he merged a number of sources into one voice for narrative benefit in an earlier project and was caught out). He discloses this midway into the book, and it makes you wonder a bit about what liberties he may have taken with Knight's story; among them, the extent to which Knight understood and gave permission for his tale to be told. It's an uncomfortable reading experience, to be sure, but fascinating as well.
Finkel is an outdoorsman himself, and therefore disposed to feel a certain understanding around Knight's choices. His empathy and curiosity drive the story to read like a novel rather than a biography, and leave readers rooting alternately for Knight, his family, the cottagers and the fledgling friendship between Knight and Finkel. All in all, this book makes for a great summer read, particularly if you're at a remote cottage and enjoy a bit creepiness in a book.
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Add a QuoteSilence, 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.
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Add a Commentlikely a hoax
This is a very good read. His will to survive and thrive is amazing. As you read, you begin to understand all the lives that were touched beyond his.
This book surprised me a little. I expected it to be more like a descriptive documentary about some weirdo who decided to live in the woods for the rest of his life. This book, however, was more the analysis and thought behind what Christopher Knight did rather than focusing just on *what* he did. This book is, for the most part, quite interesting. Perhaps some sections were a tad unnecessary, but overall this book was a very good read and most definitely do not regret it. Also, they way Michael Finkel writes is interesting, too. The first chapter made me feel like I was on a Metal Gear Solid spy mission. The chapters that followed urged my curiosity about Knight as a person, amongst other things. Why someone would want to be so distant from people and society to go as far as living in a hostile environment is something I cannot understand, but I bet we can all relate to wanting some alone time and we can appreciate what Knight has to say as well as his unique, almost unheard of perspective of the world.
This book might depress you, because we "live" in the world that the hermit removed himself from. Still, it may resonate with you regardless and for that reason it's highly worth a read.
What makes this book compelling is the depth of story telling. More than a simple, journalistic description, the author brings up the challenging aspects beyond man-lives-in-woods. The main character steals, knows it is wrong, but still does it. Do we despise a man who steals food from a camp for children or admire his thievery being limited to essentials? There are other interesting issues along the way. To me, the ending was the best part. After so many years separate from people, how will he react after being submerged back in society. In summary, a great book about a good story.
Crazy story and well told. Appreciate how the author researched and interviewed a variety of groups (local neighbors, medical professionals, law enforcement, hermits) to focus on a complete character portrayal. Quick read and definitely recommend!
Well written. very interesting.
Fascinating and thought provoking. A well written account of a man who isolated himself from other humans for 27 years and did so by living in a camp in dense Maine woods throughout every season, all kinds of treacherous weather and by stealing packaged foods from vacant summer cabins. He is considered by some to be a true Hermit as he had no contact with another living being, except for an exchange of Hello with a hiker for all of those 27 years. No other hermit in recorded history has spent that much time in isolation. One of the most interesting and disturbing facts I found was that most of us only go about 8 hours without any interaction with another and that 9 out of 10 people would rather subject themselves to electric shock treatment than to be alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes!
There is much to discuss about an anomalous life, how some crave it and how others fear it.
This is an excellent choice for a book discussion!
I really liked the book as I to have thought about living off the land and what it would be like. This book describes it well, as Chris Knight did it over 27 yrs until he got caught stealing. Stealing only to survive. The book leaves you with, why people do this, was he a true hermit? I think the system failed him and his punishment in this case was wrong. Since Knight was caught only a couple years ago, and if he so wishes, it would be nice if he could live out in the bush on his own, away from people, government helps so many people, why not help him.
I loved this book. I want to read this book again sometime. I only wish this book had been longer. Are there issues with the way the information was obtained / the telling of this person's story? Sure, yes. I hadn't heard any of the interviews or read anything about the background of this book. I saw it on a shelf at the library and the subtitle immediately grabbed me. Ended up reading the ebook version. To read about someone doing exactly what I've often fantasized about doing (except the stealing parts) with bits of history mixed in about other people who have done this throughout time ... it was like taking a little hermit vacation myself.