On an autumn morning in 1849, Henry David Thoreau stepped out his front door to walk the beaches of Cape Cod. Over a century and a half later, Ben Shattuck does the same, retracing six of Thoreau’s journeys. These walks take him from the Massachusetts coastline to the banks of the Allagash River, and the peaks of Mount Katahdin and Mount Wachusett.

Along the way Shattuck encounters unexpected characters, landscapes, and stories, seeing for himself the restorative effects that walking can have on a dampened spirit. Over years of following Thoreau, he finds himself uncovering new insights about family, love, friendship, and fatherhood, and coming to understand more deeply the lessons walking can offer through life’s changing seasons.

Shattuck will read from his debut book, “Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau” and join attendees for a ramble across the woodlands and meadows that Thoreau once called home.

This local program is offered in collaboration with the Massachusetts Center for the Book on the occasion of the 2023 National Book Festival.