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Michael Finkel

Goodreads Author

Born

in Atlanta, The United States

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http://www.MichaelFinkel.com

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MikeFinkel

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November 2015

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Michael Finkel is the author of "The Art Thief," "The Stranger in the Woods," and "True Story," which was adapted into a 2015 motion picture. He has reported from more than 50 countries and written for National Geographic, GQ, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and The New York Times Magazine. He lives with his family in northern Utah. ...more

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Michael Finkel’s books

Average rating: 3.91 · 191,503 ratings · 22,381 reviews · 12 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession 3.92 avg rating — 97,093 ratings — published 2023 — 54 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel (Goodreads Author), Mark Bramhall (Narrator) 3.91 avg rating — 85,849 ratings — published 2017 — 48 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa 3.91 avg rating — 7,116 ratings — published 2005 — 44 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Here Be Monsters... 50 Days Adrift At Sea 3.67 avg rating — 372 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Alpine Circus: A Skier's Exotic Adventures at the Snowy Edge of the World 4.24 avg rating — 51 ratings — published 1999 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Art Thief / The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel (Goodreads Author) 4.83 avg rating — 6 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Advanced Tools and Models to Improve River Basin Management in Europe in the Context of Climate Change (Aquaterra) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Intended and Unintended Islanding of Distribution Grids it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Goodreads Author), Unknown Author it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Le dernier ermite it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Michael Finkel answered Tom Seigel's question: Just finished The Art Thief, which I loved. It would make such a fantastic movie. Is there one in the works? Timothee Chalamet would make a terrific Breitwieser. I hope it's been optioned. (P.S. saw you love The Catcher in the Rye. Me too. I even wrote a novel about it, Caught of Film). Looking forward to your next project! Cheers. Hi Tom: Thanks for your kind words and your readership. I agree that Timothee Chalamet could make an excellent Breitwieser. The material has indeed been optioned; let's see what happens. It'll be a while. Please stay tuned. In the meantime, I'm indee See Full Answer
18 hours, 2 min ago · 3 likes · like
Michael Finkel answered Bennett Farr's question: Mr Finkel do you have any plans on releasing another book soon? (Please say yes) Thanks for your interest. I'm currently working on a new project, but it will be a while (at least two years) before it's ready. Alas, I'm a rather methodical researcher and writer.
Jan 27, 2026 09:27AM · 4 likes · like
Michael Finkel rated a book it was amazing Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Heart-rending, beautiful, crushing, written with razor-sharp precision, "Things In Nature" grabbed me fully. To me, Yiyun Li's clinical, sometimes detached prose pierces deep. This is a work of art. ...more
Jan 07, 2026 07:13PM · 14 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Finkel and 2 other people liked Kristi's review of The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit: "I loved loved loved this book. There are so many facets about this book that I love. In so many ways it spoke to me. The parts of me that needs solitude, nature, literature, ingenuity, challenges, silence. This one will not be leaving my bookshelf."
Sep 24, 2025 11:53PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Finkel and 544 other people liked Meg ✨'s review of I Who Have Never Known Men: "i who will never be the same again"
Sep 13, 2025 08:34PM · see review
Michael Finkel rated a book it was amazing I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There's an entire universe contained within 164 pages - a beautiful, horrible, depressing, uplifting, indelible, unputdownable read. Up there with the absolute best of dystopian novels, such as Cormac McCarthy's "The Road," David Markson's "Wittgenst ...more
Sep 13, 2025 07:46PM · 19 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Finkel and 4 other people liked Betsy Quammen's review of True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America: "I thought it was pretty good. 😆"
Jul 26, 2025 03:13PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of True West by Betsy Gaines Quammen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — True West by Betsy Gaines Quammen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Finkel wants to read The Ghost Lab: How Bigfoot Hunters, Mediums, and Alien Enthusiasts Are Wrecking Science by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 12, 2025 11:24PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Ghost Lab by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Ghost Lab by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Finkel is now following Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling Author of A Libertarian Walks into a Bear: The Utopian Pl...
May 12, 2025 11:23PM · like
Michael Finkel liked a quote “I think that most of us feel like something is missing from our lives. And I wondered then if Knight's journey was to seek it. But life isn't about searching endlessly to find what's missing. It's about learning to live with the missing parts.” ...more Michael Finkel
May 06, 2025 12:00AM · like · more quotes by Michael Finkel · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Michael Finkel (?)

“I think that most of us feel like something is missing from our lives. And I wondered then if Knight's journey was to seek it. But life isn't about searching endlessly to find what's missing. It's about learning to live with the missing parts.”
― Michael Finkel, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

48 likes

“Carl Jung said that only an introvert could see "the unfathomable stupidity of man”
― Michael Finkel, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

tags: carl-jung, introverts, stupidity-of-man

39 likes

“I read. That's my form of travel.”
― Michael Finkel, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

tags: reading, travel

35 likes

See all Michael Finkel's quotes »

Polls

Time to vote on our next NON fiction book. Poll remains open until October 31st.
The nominees are...

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

12 votes, 46.2%

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel

8 votes, 30.8%

Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing As We Age by Mary Pipher

5 votes, 19.2%

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

1 vote, 3.8%

26 total votes

5 comments

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