A Walk in the Woods

Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes – and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings.

For a start, there’s the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa along for the walk. Despite Katz’s overwhelming desire to find cozy restaurants, he and Bryson eventually settle into their stride, and while on the trail they meet a bizarre assortment of hilarious characters. “A Walk in the Woods” is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike – Bryson’s acute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America’s last great wilderness.

An adventure, a comedy, and a celebration, “A Walk in the Woods” is a modern classic of travel literature.

About the Author: Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. A backpacking expedition in 1973 brought him to England where he met his wife and decided to settle. He wrote for the English newspapers The Times and The Independent for many years, writing travel articles to supplement his income. He lived with his family in North Yorkshire before moving back to the States in 1995, to Hanover, New Hampshire, with his wife and four children. In 2003 he and his family moved back to England, where they currently reside. In December 2006, Bryson was awarded an honorary OBE for his contribution to literature. The following year, he was awarded the James Joyce Award of the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin. In January 2007, Bryson was the Schwartz Visiting Fellow of the Pomfret School in Connecticut.

He is the author of In a Sunburned Country, A Short History of Nearly Everything, and Shakespeare: the World as Stage, among others.

Copies of the book are available to borrow at:

Brookfield Library • 182 Whisconier Road (Route 25) • Brookfield
203-775-6241 • www.brookfieldlibrary.org

Danbury Library • 170 Main Street • Danbury
203-797-4505 • www.danburylibrary.org

New Fairfield Free Public Library • 2 Brush Hill Drive • New Fairfield
203-312-5679 • www.newfairfieldlibrary.org

New Milford Public Library • 24 Main Street • New Milford
860-355-1191 • www.biblio.org/newmilford

Sherman Library • 1 Sherman Center • Sherman
860-354-2455 • www.shermanlibrary.org

Book Discussion Dates

Monday, July 13, 6:30 p.m.
New Milford Public Library

Tuesday, July 14, 6 p.m.
Danbury Library

Wednesday, July 15, 6:30 p.m.
New Fairfield Free Public Library

Thursday, July 16, 7:00 p.m.
Brookfield Library

Friday, July 17, 12 p.m.
Brookfield Senior Center
559B Federal Road

Friday, July 17, 7:30 p.m.
Sherman Library

Book Notes

Readers may find the following questions helpful as a way to approach
thinking about “A Walk in the Woods”:
1. What do you think of the title of the book?
2. What did you think of the scene where they discovered on a map that they had only hiked two inches of the four feet of trail?
3. Do you agree with the author’s statement, “If we couldn’t walk the whole trail, we also didn’t have to”?
4. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is the unlikely friendship between Bryson and Katz. How does Bryson’s attitude toward Katz change over the course of the book? How does Katz himself change? What was Katz’s motivation, anyway, to walk the AT?
5. What do you think of the author’s sense of humor? His opinions? His writing style? Do you think that readers could find this book offensive or controversial? In what ways?
6. What do you think of the informational tidbits and tangents on history, geology, ecology, and social customs in the book? Did any ignite your interest? Which ones? Why? Do you view these “asides” as
positive or negative in the structure of the book?
7. Did the ending of the book “feel right” to you?
8. In an interview with the author, Bryson mentioned that Katz said, “Oh, Bryson, you know, it’s all bullshit, but it’s really funny!” In the same interview, Bryson said, “Everything I say in the book is absolutely
true.” What do you think?

These questions are generously provided by the Manitowok Public Library in Wisconsin and by Litlovers.