The Tuesday Morning Book Club at Cole Library will be meeting on Tuesday, June 18, from 9:30 – 11 a.m. The group meets in Room 108, which is the large meeting room on the First Floor of the Library.
All are welcome to join the Book Club. You can email Sherene Player at [email protected] if you have any questions.
At the June Meeting, the group will be reading and discussing the book The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel. Jeanne Muellerleile will review the book and lead the discussion.
From the publisher comes this summary of the book: “Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. This is the remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality; not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own.
“In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food.
“Living in a tent, even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries.
“Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life – why did he leave? what did he learn? – as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.”
Tuesday Morning Book Club discusses ‘The Stranger in the Woods’
June 6, 2024