A Walk in the Woods

Summary from Longitude Books...

Bryson manages to combine biting satire with a certain warmth in all his books, and this one is no exception. He tackles (or tries to, anyway) the whole of the Appalachian trail, starting in Georgia. It's not only a very entertaining read, but a fond memoir and very evocative of some unusual locales.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think of the title of the book, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail?
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. Do you feel that their hike really counts as hiking the Appalachian Trail even though it was only 39% of the trail?
5. What do you think of the relationship between Bryson and Katz?
6. What about the interactions between them and the other characters in the book? Did you find the relationships humorous?
7. What do you think of the author's sense of humor? His opinions? His writing style?
8. Do you think that readers could find this book offensive or controversial? In what ways?
9. 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?
10. Do you view these "asides" as positive or negative in the structure of the book?
11. 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?
12. 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?

Links

Official Bill Bryson Website

This is a publisher site that offers brief summaries and reviews of many of Bill Bryson's books. A couple of excerpts from his work are available here and you can find out what the author is curently up to.

Bold Type-- Bill Bryson

Another publisher site which includes a lengthy interview as well as an audio of the author reading from A Walk in the Woods.

B&N.com-- A Walk in the Woods

Read B&N.com's interview with Bill Bryson and check out what other people have to say about the book!