I keep breaking my promise to avoid non-fiction, but Into the Wild is quick and fairly gripping – at least when the story stays about Chris McCandless’ final journey and doesn’t wander off into the histories of the other “marginal characters who have marched off into the Alaska wilds over the years, never to reappear.” I don’t think I’ll ever understand people who hate their parents and cut them out of their lives, because mine were awesome. McCandless’ parents seem like average loving middle-upper class parents, and he had avoided them for years before he showed up dead in Alaska. Starving to death, god. What an amazing final journey, though. I wonder how he felt about misjudging his situation in the end. I wonder how he felt about how he treated his parents. I wonder if he knew his literary hero Jack London died of alcoholism at age 40 and spent only one winter in the Klondike?

Great, sad, wonderful story.

The only thing I disliked about this novel were the overly long connections the author makes with the boy the book is written about, his own life and other adventurers with similarities to Chris. It was an interesting read that left me with many philosophical and personal questions and taught me a lot about hiking, geography and nature. I would definitely recommend it!

An interesting read. Like many of us, the author relates deeply to Chris McCandless and his urge to live in the wild, which led him to write this book. He does a good job of addressing both 'sides': those who romanticize McCandless's fateful adventure and those who think he was a punk kid with a death wish and no respect for the Alaskan wild. Krakauer also briefly visits the stories of other men who have gone on similar adventures, some who survived. It is easy to say that hubris and ignorance are what led to McCandless's death, but he also may have been one of those people who's ideas were just too big for the 'normal' world. His story is both inspiring and uninspiring at the same time.

I would reccomend this book to anyone who wishes to follow Christopher's path to go into the wild. Why? because the story teaches what you must do to survive or in Christopher's Case, Prevent you from living into the wild...anyways, yeah! I loved the story especially since I love adventure! :D

Illuminating true story. The author cites incidents in his own history which mirror some of the issues faced by Christopher, and then compares their differing responses. A lot of interesting rumination on fathers and sons and their sometimes complex relationships. Highly recommended.

Just average, the movie depicts the story/journey of Christopher Johnson McCandless a lot better. The book kind of goes in and out between the story, facts and other events similar to Christopher McCandless.

Great book. Read it. You don't have to like the outdoors, either.

You know how the book is always better than the movie? In this case, it was especially true. I have tried to watch this movie a couple of times. Now, to be fair, I can have a very short attention span and if I am not in the mood for a movie, nothing will make me get through it. This book was so good. I really, really enjoyed it, much more than I thought I would. I have read one other book my Krakauer, and I can say that I really enjoy his writing style. I don’t know what it is, but he makes tragic events easier to stomach without taking away from the sadness. He makes them more bearable. The book follows the story of Chris McCandless’s adventure in the Alaskan wild. It begins with the discovery of his body, and then retraces his steps from high school to his university graduation. Krakauer investigates McCandless’s relationships with his family as well as those with people he met on the road. McCandless lived the life of a nomad following his university graduation. He cut all ties with his family and set out on the road looking for adventure. He was quick to make friends wherever he went, and he maintained these relationships even while he was still wandering. He eventually makes his way to the Alaskan bush and begins an adventure to live off the land for the summer with only a 10 pound bag of rice. McCandless’s downfall is, above all, his incredible naiveté. He believed that he could survive in the wilderness with nothing more than a bag of rice and a gun. He didn’t have a map, a compass, or any other means of navigation should he have to abandon his attempt. He was an incredibly resourceful young man though. He would have survived his attempt had he not made one grave error. One little mistake that no one could have foreseen cost him his life.

A great read and gives great incite into the reasons why Chris McCandless walked into the Alaska wild. Highly recommended.