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The Stranger in the Woods

the Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
Community comment are the opinions of contributing users. These comment do not represent the opinions of West Vancouver Memorial Library.
Jan 19, 2018feralranger rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
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!