A Walk in the Woods
by Bill Bryson
About the book…
The subtitle of the
book is Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail and
rediscover America is just what the author did, after having lived in
Europe for many years. There are so many aspects to this tale: the
author's sense of humor, observations, experiences on the trail, and
the different people he met along the way. As one reviewer wrote, Bill
Bryson "did his...homework." No wonder that Walk in the
Woods was on the New York Times bestsellers list for over a
year! It will make a great discussion.
 About the author…
Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa. For twenty years he lived in
England, where he worked for the Times and the Independent,
and wrote for most major British and American publications. His books
include travel memoirs (Neither Here Nor There, The Lost
Continent, Notes from a Small Island), and books on language
(The Mother Tongue, Made in America). He now lives in
Hanover, New Hampshire, with his wife and four children.
Discussion Questions:
What some readers find appealing, are viewed by others as flaws. Please
consider the following discussion questions:
- What do you think of the title of the book, A Walk in the
Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail?
- 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?
- Do you agree with the author's statement, "If we couldn't
walk the whole trail, we also didn't have to?"
- Do you feel that their hike really counts as hiking the
Appalachian Trail even though it was only 39% of the trail?
- What do you think of the relationship between Bryson and Katz?
- What about the interactions between them and the other characters
in the book? Did you find the relationships humorous?
- 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?
- What do you think of the informational tidbits/tangents on history
(of the trail, of the National Park Service, etc.), geology (of Centralia
and the mountainside in Lehigh Valley), ecology (the effects of global warming, zinc
mining, dam building), and social customs (the interaction and views of
different people) 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?
- Did the ending of the book “feel right” to you? What do you think
the author meant about it not feeling right about cutting grass after
hiking the Appalachian Trail?
- 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?
Questions
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