The Stranger in the Woods Audiobook By Michael Finkel cover art

The Stranger in the Woods

The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

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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.

A New York Times bestseller

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. Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Americas Biographies & Memoirs Ecosystems & Habitats Nature & Ecology North America Outdoors & Nature Science State & Local United States True Crime Thought-Provoking Inspiring Exciting Scary Dream Wilderness Survival Stories

Critic reviews

"A story that takes the two primary human relationships—to nature and to one another—and deftly upends our assumptions about both. This was a breathtaking book to read and many weeks later I am still thinking about the implications for our society and—by extension—for my own life."
—Sebastian Junger

"An absorbing exploration of solitude and man’s eroding relationship with the natural world. Though the ‘stranger’ in the title is Knight, one closes the book with the sense that Knight, like all seers, is the only sane person in a world gone insane—that modern civilization has made us strangers to ourselves."
—Nathaniel Rich, The Atlantic

"Campfire-friendly and thermos-ready, easily drained in one warm, rummy slug… Raises a variety of profound questions—about the role of solitude, about the value of suffering, about the diversity of human needs."
—Jennifer Senior, The New York Times

"Michael Finkel has done something magical with this profound book… [His] investigation runs deep, summoning…the human history of our own attempts to find meaning in a noisy world."
—Michael Paterniti

"Chris Knight is an American original... I burned through this haunting tale in one rapt sitting."
—John Vaillant

Featured Article: The Best Biography Audiobooks to Educate, Fascinate, and Inspire


The best biographies are ranked not only by the scale and skill of their writing, but also by the strength of their subjects. In the audiobook world, these selections are also judged for the quality of their narrative performances, making those that rise to the top all the more excellent. From lighthearted entertainment to inspirational origin stories, these titles represent the best biography audiobooks now ready for your listening pleasure.

Featured Article The Best Biography Audiobooks to Educate Fascinate and Inspire
Fascinating True Story • Thought-provoking Content • Excellent Narration • Thorough Research • Philosophical Insights

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I could not stop listening and thinking about this story. The story telling is rich and told with so much heart. One of the best narrations I have ever heard on Audible. Listen to this book!

A Fascinating Tale!

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I really enjoyed this book. There were times I laughed out loud and others when I teared up.

Facinating And True!

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I liked it. It was easy to listen to and an overall short book, but well done.

I liked it a true twisted story.

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A hermit or a career criminal, the story of Maine native Christopher Knight tells of an almost unbelievable story of living alone and undetected for close to 30 years in the Maine woods. Often the black bear is known as the "ghost of the Northwoods." You know it is there; you see a split-second glimpse, and it's gone. But there was a person who was stealing from the camps on North Pond. He was so elusive that his crime spree went on for 27 years despite efforts from various Maine law enforcement agencies and private citizens' use of surveillance equipment and lying in wait. After his capture, Knight is interviewed by author Michael Finkel who seems to be skilled at information interrogation and gets into Knight's head and tells the whole story. Knight is no common back-woods-Maine hick; he is highly intelligent and well-read into books of deeper understanding and thought. Knight is a problem solver and a strong-will survivalist. He is an iconoclast, and he has a lawless spirit that is conflicted with guilt and shame. Below the surface Knight has an acute criminal mind. Knight professes no belief in God, but he readily fesses up to believe "there is no such thing as an atheist in the foxhole" when confronted with 27 years of severe Maine -20 below O temperatures. Knight, this ghost of many Maine winters meets his own demon. He calls her "the Lady of the Forest." He is unable to tell if she was real or vision or hypothermia induced. He describes the Lady offering him to come with her into the cold. He refuses and lives. The voice in the audiobook seems to be a dialect impersonator, which seems to make the book come alive. Whether Knight spoke that way, I don't know. I know accents change throughout the state of Maine. I would need to listen to this audiobook a second time to see if the impersonator could intuitively employ interconsonantal R; he otherwise seemed authentic. I would call this book an incredible read for people who like the outdoors, travel through Northern New England hiking the AMC-4000-Footers and 100-Highest and the Maine Northwoods.

The Capture of the Ghost of the Northwoods

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A story that tickles your imagination and then soberly brings you back to reality even sadly at times. A really good listen.

Exceeded my expectations

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