He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. 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. A riveting 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.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. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of the why and how of his secluded life – as well as the challenges he has faced returning to the world. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothes, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed, but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries.

Living in a tent even in winter, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store food and water, to avoid freezing to death. In 1986, 20-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods.

For readers and listeners of Jon Krakauer and The Lost City of Z, a remarkable tale of survival and solitude – the true story of a man who lived alone in a tent in the Maine woods, never talking to another person and surviving by stealing supplies from nearby cabins for 27 years.

Download the stranger in the woods