Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood by Gary Paulsen

Author Gary Paulsen is known for his tales of survival in the woods and wilderness.  This book is a different sort of survival story -- the true story of how he survived his childhood.

He escaped his neglectful mother in Chicago when he travelled to spend a summer with his aunt and uncle in the North Woods.  It was this experience that inspired his most famous book -- Hatchet.

He then spent the remainder of this childhood in post-WWII Philippines and his teen years back in the states with two drunk parents who continued to neglect him.  His saving graces at that time were the woods that he still loved and the public library.  The library handed him the first book he ever read at 13 years.  It started a lifelong love of reading and then writing when she gave him a notebook to write his own stories in.

The book ends with his time in the army when he discovered his true calling as a storyteller.

This is a sad, yet hopeful, story of a neglected child becoming who he was meant to be.  It is inspiring to hear how he turned his life experiences into stories that have thrilled children for decades.  I would recommend this to older children and teens who are fans of Gary Paulsen's stories.  (It might be a little rough for younger children.)  I would also recommend the audio version as the narrator did a great job of sharing Gary Paulsen's story.