The Bagels and
Biographies Book Club will be showcasing the best in biography, memoir,
true crime, and non-fiction every month. Each last Monday morning of the
month, we'll get together for a rollicking good time, discussing books
and eating bagels for brunch. Contact the Adult Services Department for
more information. Pick up your copy of the book at the main desk on the
first floor.
September's book will be The
Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel. In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in
Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. 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 in winter, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing
ingenious ways to store food and water, to avoid freezing to death. 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. 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. 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.