Rating: 
Summary: Good detective work by author, but writing is overdone
Review: I was left with mixed feelings after completing Into The Wild. On the positive side, Jon Krakauer did some great detective work to piece together what happened to Chris McCandless. I was impressed by how he was able to track down so many of the people who encountered Chris, and even how he was able to make plausible conjectures about what eventually caused his death.What bothers me about the book is Krakauer's portrayal of McCandless as an "everyman" who was trying find himself by being immersed in nature. While it's true that many young people go through a period where they embark on soul-searching odysseys, there's a difference between taking a summer off to drive around the USA and what McCandless did, which was to completely isolate himself from his family, and then to venture into the Alaskan wilderness without the expected necessities. I also was unimpressed by Krakauer's comparison of McCandless to his own youthful experiences. That part of the book seemed like an unnecessary aside. As a whole, this fairly short book was probably better off as a long magazine article (which it originally was). If you take out Krakauer's own introspection, as well as many reptitive passages, it probably can be condensed to under 100 pages. One other note - for those who have read Into Thin Air, I found Krakauer's views different in the 2 books. In Into Thin Air, Krakauer comes off as cricial of the people who unnecessarily risked themselves and others while trying to climb Mt. Everest. In Into The Wild, Krakauer instead seems to praise McCandless for his journey into Alaska, even though his lack of preparation (e.g. no maps, no compass) eventually led to his downfall. Is it possible that Krakauer's views changed after his own personal experience on Everest?
Rating: 
Summary: A moving portrait of a frustrating man
Review: Into the Wild tells the story of Chris "Alex Supertramp" McCandless, and it's a fascinating story. Throughout the book, I felt a sort of tension - on the one hand, I admired McCandless's idealism and intelligence. But at the same time, he struck me as incredibly arrogant, reckless, and unaware (or unconcerned) about how his actions affected other people - especially his own family. At two points, I found myself absolutely furious with McCandless - first, when he deliberately tries to hurt his parents by cutting them out of his life, and secondly when his recklessness and foolish advice end up essentially ruining the life of Ronald Franz, a lonely old man who befriended McCandless. Despite my anger, I couldn't help but be interested in McCandless's story. He was an intelligent, charismatic, and fascinating person - but he was also an incredibly furstrating and infuriating person. That tenion makes Into the Wild an engrossing read.
Rating: 
Summary: Phenomenal book!
Review: I loved this book. There are already some great reviews on this site about the book's contents, so I'll just stick to my opinion. I bought this book and read it all in a day. I just couldn't put it down. It is a wonderful trip through the mind of a young boy and your own mind. Don't miss out on this one. Truely a classic and a true story!
Rating: 
Summary: Kind of moot...
Review: The premise of the work is good (shedding light on the psyche of a young man who has turned his back on society) and Krakauer does a reasonable job of recreating Chris' (the young man) travels and state of mind from interviews and writings. Roughly one quarter of the book consists of a mini Jon Krakauer autobiography and biographies of other "explorers". Personally, I don't think this really detracts from the overall work, but some readers may argue otherwise. The problem with the work is that the whole story is really blunted in the end when it is revealed that Chris didn't really just give up on life, but appears to have died accidentally.
Rating:
Summary: A thought-provoking, inspiring tale
Review: Into The Wild has really provoked a certain awareness in me. It is quite different from Krakauer's most famous piece, Into Thin Air. Unlike Into Thin Air, the value of Into the Wild comes from what you as the reader take from it; it cannot help but make you wonder what drove Chris McCandless to abandon all that represented materiality and try to live not only in the wild, but with the wild. Was this kid - who has been labeled crazy - right, at least in the regard that humans are too caught up in their material existence to appreciate all that is natural? These are questions many young people confront, and Krakauer has done a magnificent job of piecing together not only what McCandless did, but why, exactly, he acted the way he did. Unfortunately, however, McCandless ended up paying the ultimate price for trying to truly live: death.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone - A truly inspirational story
Review: This book was recommended to me by a friend and I can't thank him enough for it! Into The Wild is a fascinating look into the soul of Christopher McCandless, a young man who shed the comforts of everyday American life to live of the land. Following his idols Thoreau and Jack London, McCandless set out on the adventure of a lifetime. As the cover reads, "In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter..." That cover quote speaks some of the story but doesn't equate to the power of the story. If you are looking for a change in life, or need inspiration READ THIS BOOK. It will change your life, it certainly changed mine!
Rating: 
Summary: Krakauer and McCandless could learn a lot from Alaskans
Review: When I was asked to read Into the Wild for a class, I tried to approach it with an even perspective. Though I have never been a fan of biographies, this one blew me away. No, not because it was good, because it belonged in the fantasy section. John Krakauer has held up a half-witted coward as a symbol of Alaska, and frankly, Alaska is dissapointed. Krakauer claims he is the ideal adventurer, then let me ask, why did he DIE!? Right from the beginning, I could find mistake that McCandless made, big ones! I have never been out in the wilderness of Alaksa by myself, but the knowledge I have from spending my life in Alaska gives me more smarts than that junkie. Another thing that irked me was the way McCandless was held up as so smart. Those of you in the other 49 states have absolutely no idea how many crazy mountain men or avante garde californians come up here and try to live of the wild. It's disgraceful to us. Just a few years ago, a man like McCandless decided to live on the hill that I live on. Now mind you, this is a nice neighborhood outside of town, not a bunch of cabins. This man proceeded to set up a tent on the edge of our neighbor's back lawn. He didn't think that someone might own the land that he was on, and that just because this Alaska, it doesn't been you can just go wherever you want! Many people have come up and asked the government to give them large land grants on prime property for free. Some don't even ask the government, they just move in. Nowhere else in America is this tolerated, so why should you think it doesn't apply up here?! McCandless was a fool, and a fool does not deserve to be glorified.
Rating:
Summary: Good Read!
Review: Great Book, easy reading...only took about a week...Last 3-4 chapters are the best....Hard to put down! Krakauer's style is awesome...can't wait to read his next, "Into Thin Air". Author relates own experiences with Father and solo wilderness trek to that of McCandless as he searches for answers to the youthful and carefree risks we all take when young and naive!
Rating:
Summary: More to the book than just an adventure story
Review: I have read many reviews on this book, including ones that say it was boring, and some who claim that it reads like a news story. I don't think they got the point of the story. People die every day of more tragic deaths. (drug addiction, drunk driving.) I think what Krakauer wanted to do in this book, was let you have a glimpse inside the mind of an acting idealist. Chris was by no means crazy, and in fact was probably much smarter and saner than most. From his journals, you see that chris had a negative attitude towards many things, including the type of life that is accepted in our society. For chris, living the mundane life that most of us live, wasn't enough. He wanted to live on an edge, and set his own standards and lifestyle. Whether you know it or not, almost everyone you know can relate to chris and the things he did. Most don't go beyond ideals, and some don't think that way at all. People who say they don't understand what he did at all are usually the kind of people who are wrapped up in society, and living life as it has been given them. Sooner or later in life, all of us come to a crossroads where we either accept or deny society. Almost all of us succumb to it; we get married, have a 10x16 front lawn, a dog, and live paycheck to paycheck. (you're born, you go to school, you work, pay taxes, die.) This was unacceptable to chris probably a long time before he left on his "trek." This would explain much of his negative outlook on life, his family, and other various things. Whether or not this kind of book interests you, you should take the time to read it, and learn about someone who didn't accept what all (or most of us) have accepted into our lives. You shouldn't read it with the intention of just finding out exactly how he died in the end, but more attention paid to why he put himself in those situations, and maybe you will find that Chris mccandless's personality may not be too far from your own. READ IT NOW.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: WHEN I PICKED THIS BOOK, I HONESTLY HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT. AFTER GETTING THROUGH THE FIRST CHAPTER I FIGURED THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE AN ADVENTURE STORY ABOUT A YOUNG MAN WHO GETS LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. I WAS ONLY HALF RIGHT AS THE STORY IS MUCH MORE. IT IS REALLY A PSCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF A YOUNG TRANSCENDENTALIST. IF I WERE TO PICK AN AUDIENCE FOR THIS BOOK, I WOULD SAY THAT IT IS ENJOYABLE TO READ FOR MOST ANYONE ALTHOUGH I HAVE HEARD OF SOME INSTANCES WHERE PARENTS GET UPSET BECAUSE THEY THINK THAT IT GLORIFIES REBELLING AGAINST ADULTS.
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