{"product_id":"wood-work","title":"Wood Work","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A moving and lyrical memoir about Maine, woodworking, and the life-affirming joy of working with one's hands.\"—Tess Gerritsen, New York Times-bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Spy Coast\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat happens when you walk away from security to build a life with your hands?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn January 2019, former white-collar professional Steve Smith stepped into the snowy Maine woods with a simple, risky goal: to see if he could make a living using nothing but an axe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith no formal training and no safety net, Smith began hand-hewing logs into timber beams, learning a heritage craft once essential to survival and now nearly forgotten. What began as an experiment became six years of punishing labor, financial uncertainty, and personal transformation as he built a thriving timber business—and discovered a different measure of success.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStructured around the turning seasons of the Maine woods, \u003ci\u003eWood Work\u003c\/i\u003e traces Smith’s physical and philosophical journey away from corporate life and toward a livelihood rooted in craft, land, and community. Drawing on his upbringing in a religious cult and a lifelong search for meaningful work, he reflects on what is lost when modern life separates us from making—and what can still be reclaimed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eClear-eyed, humble, and deeply reflective, \u003ci\u003eWood Work\u003c\/i\u003e is a meditation on purpose, resilience, and the enduring human need to shape something real with our own hands.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stephen A. Smith","offers":[{"title":"Wood Work","offer_id":50719854952687,"sku":null,"price":18.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/0903\/9343\/files\/BNCImageAPI_a03ed25b-3ae5-4fbb-9f61-0924e46895fb.jpg?v=1788968933","url":"https:\/\/mandagroup.shop\/products\/wood-work","provider":"MandaGroup","version":"1.0","type":"link"}