walden(alsoknownaslifeinthewoods)byhenrydavidthoreauisoneofthebest-knownnon-fictionbookswrittenbyanamerican.publishedin1854,itdetailsthoreauslifefortwoyearsandtwomonthsinsecond-growthforestaroundtheshoresofwaldenpond,notfarfromhisfriendsandfamilyinconcord,massachusetts.waldenwaswrittensothatthestayappearstobeayear,withexpressedseasonaldivisions.thoreaucalleditanexperimentinsimpleliving.waldenisneitheranovelnoratrueautobiography,butasocialcritiqueofthewesternworld,witheachchapterheraldingsomeaspectofhumanitythatneededtobeeitherrenouncedorpraised.