Into the Wild

Rating:
Summary: Haunting...Disturbing...
Review: Maybe its because I'm the same age. Maybe its because I love hiking and camping. Whatever the allure, this book affected my thoughts for several days after reading it. (In fact, I read it over a year ago, and I'm just reviewing it now). do I respect his fierce independence, or do I call him the idiot he was? I still don't know, but I'm still thinking about it...and that's high praise.

Rating:
Summary: Thorough investigative journalism
Review: John Krakauer is surely the most suited person to write this book, as he share his personal experiences and relates them to McCandless adventures. If you think Chris McCandless was only a fool, please read the book and think again. You might still not change your mind, but at least get an insight into what motivates different people.

Rating:
Summary: "I believe I can fly".. celebrating the human spirit.
Review: It is not about the facts but the process. Death is certain but the way we reach there matters. The road taken and the sceneries enjoyed along the way are what define life. The landmarks perhaps help define what the life as a whole was about but merely narrating these as facts does not do any justice to a life. There in comes Jon Krakauer. He takes us on a journey into the reasons why. Chris McCandless's aim was not be written about or spoken or even remembered. If that were the case, he would not leave the "civilized" world, his parents, his family, and his friends for a life driven by wanderlust and learning. This is not a story about the journeys that people such as McCandless, or should I say, Alex, undertake but about why they do it. And every human spirit loves this freedom of spirit. Innate within us lies a similar spirit that craves liberation. And it is this vicarious sharing and celebration of a life and the journey therein that kept me gripped to this book. Not every wandering soul leaves such an impression on the world. Not every foolhardy 20-something-year old that fell between the cracks of so-called civilized society is honored with a book celebrating the indomitable spirit that "Alex" possesses. Perhaps more than strength, it is the yearning that drives him that is more alluring. Amust read for everyone that ever wanted to soar higher.. to live free-er, and to feel the exhilaration that freedom can afford.

Rating:
Summary: Lonely death and a lesson of life
Review: Into The Wild it's much more than the simple biography of a young and brave/crazy man and his lonely death in the woods. It's the story of an unsatisfied human being looking for meaning and direction of life, told in a respectful, sensible and professional way by Jon Krakauer. It's a must for wilderness enthusiasts and a good lesson of what not to do if you wish to stay alive in the thundra. And oh yes, most mexicans, as told by Chris Macandless in his diary, are generally warm and kind with tourists and visitors, I saved that commentary deep in my heart.

Rating:
Summary: Explore your boundaries by examining Alex Supertramp's
Review: Leading a life few in America even know exists, one is fascinated how a college educated, bright young man turns his back on money and explores America to find himself. While the publicity of his death hogs the headlines, the highlight of this book is his travels in the Southwest and the friendships he made. Another masterpiece by Krakauer who is probably better suited than any American writer to write this story.

Rating:
Summary: Elusive in Life, Elusive in Death
Review: The book began as an article in Outdoor Magazine and Krakauer expanded the tight-deadline article into this work. It is well-written, often moving, and fascinating as it veers into Krakauer's own solo climbing in Alaska. For all Krakauer's efforts, however, Chris McCandless remains just as elusive in death as he was in life. Simply put, maybe he just didn't leave enough clues or enough witnesses in his two year hegira which ended in the abandoned bus in Alaska. Krakauer's done his research, the tales of others similar to McCandless are fascinating, and as a parent of similar aged kids this is a painful read for their loss. Still, I finally conclude that the book does not add a great deal to the barren eloquence of the Outdoor article based on McCandless' own small diary kept as his fate closed in on him.

Rating:
Summary: A new Walden
Review: This is the true story of a young man who rejects modern society for the intense quest for true isolation and oneness with nature. Chris McCandless wandered into the harsh arctic wilderness unprepared and warned, and was found dead of starvation months later. Each chapter opens with powerful quotations from others who have been on this quest, like Thoreau, London, Muir and Dillard. This may be today's Walden and not soon forgotten.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful complicated journey
Review: INTO THE WILD is a confusing book with a great plot fordiscussing. About three plot lines are carried on at the same time,where the auther Jon Krakauer is telling his story, side charectors stories are added in for benefit, and the main plot that continues on through the entire story. The main plot focuses on a young man, Chris McCandless, who has money and sucess and gives it all up for a life of wandering and freedom. While this may be the plotline for thousands of other books, INTO THE WILD was pleasantly (or disturbingly) twisted by Jon Krakauer into a complicated dance of really living, and death. Chris McCandles dies, we find that out in the first chapter. After we find out about his death though, the reader gets a chance to meet the people who played a role in McCandless' search for self. Starting out with Jim Gallien, "Gallien wondered whether he'd picked up one of those crackppots for the lower forty-eight who come north to live out ill-considered Jack London fantasies. Aslaska has long been a magnet for dreamers and misfits. . ." As readers, we meet a chain of colorful charectors who help him along the way. The problem with this plot line is that the charectors are not always introduced in a logical way. They also do not necessarily make sense when they are introduced into the story line. Start a new chapter, such as chapter nine, and an entirely new plot is started. We have a new charector named Everett Russ. He wants to climb around a place called Davis Gulch. The language is beautiful in this section "Tall grasses sway in the breeze. The ephemeral bloom of a sego lily peeks from the toe of a ninety-foot stone arch, and the canyon wrens call back and forth in plaintive tones from a thatch of scrub oak. High above the creek a spring seeps from the cliff face, irrigating a growth of moss and maidenhair fern. . .", the language is beautiful in the rest of the book. This is a very important fact. Sometimes the eloquent language is the only thing binding a reader to this book. One of the most important thing about INTO THE WILD is the ending though. In the last 100 pages many important issues are brought up that make the book worth reading. 1) We learn about the how starvation affects the body 2) We hear the effects of McCandless' adventures on his family, and how they deal with his death 3) Much moral thought is addressed about the passions and desires of young people and 4) (the most important :) ) we learn wild sweetpea and wild potato information. Take my word for it, if you have the time to really think about this book, and the friends to read it with you to help you understand the difficult parts, then it is a wonderful experiance with a lot of good thinking. If you want an easy read though, this is not the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful complicated journey
Review: INTO THE WILD is a confusing book with a great plot for discussing. About three plot lines are carried on at the same time, where the auther Jon Krakauer is telling his story, side charectors stories are added in for benefit, and the main plot that continues on through the entire story. The main plot focuses on a young man, Chris McCandless, who has money and sucess and gives it all up for a life of wandering and freedom. While this may be the plotline for thousands of other books, INTO THE WILD was pleasantly (or disturbingly) twisted by Jon Krakauer into a complicated dance of really living, and death. Chris McCandles dies, we find that out in the first chapter. After we find out about his death though, the reader gets a chance to meet the people who played a role in McCandless' search for self. Starting out with Jim Gallien, "Gallien wondered whether he'd picked up one of those crackppots for the lower forty-eight who come north to live . . ." As readers, we meet a chain of colorful charectors who help him along the way. The problem with this plot line is that the charectors are not always introduced in a logical way. They also do not necessarily make sense when they are introduced into the story line. Start a new chapter, such as chapter nine, and an entirely new plot is started. We have a new charector named Everett Russ. He wants to climb around a place called Davis Gulch. The language is beautiful in this section "Tall grasses sway in the breeze. The ephemeral bloom of a sego lily peeks from the toe of a ninety-foot stone arch, and the canyon wrens call back and forth in plaintive tones ..... . . .", the language is beautiful in the rest of the book. This is a very important fact. Sometimes the eloquent language is the only thing binding a reader to this book. One of the most important thing about INTO THE WILD is the ending though. In the last 100 pages many important issues are brought up that make the book worth reading. 1) We learn about the how starvation affects the body 2) We hear the effects of McCandless' adventures on his family, and how they deal with his death 3) Much moral thought is addressed about the passions and desires of young people and 4) (the most important :) ) we learn wild sweetpea and wild potato information. Take my word for it, if you have the time to really think about this book, and the friends to read it with you to help you understand the difficult parts, then it is a wonderful experiance with a lot of good thinking. If you want an easy read though, this is not the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Into the wild
Review: The author did an excellent job telling the story of Chris McCandless. Although a sad story for Chris's family, who's to say that Chris would have changed anything that he did. Not that he wanted to die in the Alaska wilderness but he wanted to live in the Alaska wilderness and that's just what he did. I enjoyed this book. It's a strong reminder regarding the American lifestyle of materialistic values and the strong desire of some to resist that life while others pursue it.