Into the Wild

Rating:
Summary: Complicated, Idealistic and Intense
Review: This is a really good book. This is the type of book that whenever I read a page or a section I want to keep going more and more each time to find out what happens next. Unlike other books that are the same type, that make me want to keep going, whenever I do go on reading nothing interesting happens. When I was half way through the book I realized that this wasn't really a survival book which was what I was hoping for, so I was somewhat disappointed but it is still a really good book. Krakauer, the author, instead of writing an adventurous Alive or Cliffhanger type book he decided to tell a story about the inner-self of a complicated, idealistic and intense young man. Even though the book wasn't really about survival or the point wasn't whether the guy died or not I really didn't like the fact that when I started to read I already knew that they guy dies in the first couple of chapters.

Rating:
Summary: Could Have Been Better
Review: Alex Hamilton Feb-14-2000 Book Review

Into the Wild written by Jon Krakauer, narrates the story of a young man who left everything behind, left to the woods of Alaska and died. Throughout the novel the author tries to explain why the main character, Alex McCandless, decides to leave. The novel talks about his journey right after he leaves his town in 1990, until April 1992 when he dies.

In my opinion, the novel could have been better. It never clearly states why he decided to leave, and live a life like he did (which was not very good to our eyes). I found it interesting how he meets different people through his journey, and he gets to be really close to them.

Jon Krakauer could have explained better why he thought McCandless had left, but as a whole the novel was acceptable. I would only recommend this novel to the people who like to analyze things, because in this novel you can conclude what you want.

Rating:
Summary: So good, I read all 206 pages in one sitting....
Review: This book grabbed a hold of me, shook my emotions around and then placed me back down to earth wondering what just took place....that was my adventure. I simply loved this book..and read it in one night. Chris' story is both amazing and tragic...it makes you wonder what made this bright kid tick and why he would trade a traditionally comfortable life to chase the (more) fiction (than non-fiction) of Jack London and/or Therou. What is even more interesting is how close he came to making it Either way, its a great read. As an aside, I actually wrote the author, Krakauer b/c the book moved me so, and he responded w/ a hand-written postcard answering my questions.,,....seems like a class/regular guy...I was very impressed. Anyway, I hope you like it....

Rating:
Summary: reader from ny
Review: I guess I expected the book to follow the journey of the doomed main character, Chris McCandless, but a large portion covers the adventures of the author and other stories.The paperback version is very thin even with the author's introspective ramblings included. The story was originally reported as a magazine article and probably should have stayed that way.If you are looking for a non-fictional adventure story,keep looking.

Rating:
Summary: Great Story Ruined by Not-So-Great Writer
Review: Christopher McCandless' story is certainly compelling -- he seems to represent the toothy end of an intrinsic but rarely mentioned facet of the American character -- but I found Krakauer's narration of it to be rather flat. I really wanted to know a lot more about McCandless when the book was done. This sort of biographical "Creative Nonfiction" works best when it gets into character, seeks to plumb the depths of the people it writes about, and pull up strange pearls and fish and skeletons from their murky deeps. Instead, Krakauer constantly sidesteps the many of the more difficult aspects of McCandless by writing off on tangents about himself -- and, frankly, his own life and story are not nearly as interesting/mysterious/unfathomable as McCandless' was. Nor does his prose seem to feel that way, either -- enough so that one feels compelled to ask: why did he even write the book?

All in all, it could have been much, much better.

Rating:
Summary: A modern American tragedy
Review: "Into the Wild" is a beautifully written account of one man's short, but intense life. Chris McCandless has risen to almost cult-like status as some kind of new-age folk hero for unintentionally orchestrating the bizarre circumstances surrounding his demise. After all, if he hadn't died, it's very unlikely that we'd know anything about him. Whether or not he deserves all the attention for his fatal stunt is not the point, as Jon Krakauer's excellently researched account makes no attempt to portray McCandless as anything other than what he was: a reckless, vagrant drifter who's arrogance, immaturity, and lofty ideals, finally killed him. That's not to say that he doesn't treat McCandless with an enormous amount of respect and sympathy -- he does. He just sticks to the facts, pretty much, and the results are perfect, just so. The book is very difficult to put down from the first page -- a real grabber. It can be easily read in a day. Krakauer's investigation into the McCandless mystery left few stones unturned. We meet all sorts of colorful folks who knew the young man on his wanderings over the American west. All have significant stories to tell, and through them, for the most part, we learn what kind of man Chris McCandless was. We learn much about his ideology; his hopes and dreams, and unfortunately, his extreme foolhardiness. By gauging what we learn about McCandless against what we know about ourselves, a portrait of him emerges which is startling in its clarity. The mystery is solved, but the enigma of Chris McCandless remains. The book will haunt the reader long after it's finished. Krakauer is to be commended for a fine account, very well told.

Rating:
Summary: Yuppie pilgrim
Review: For some reason, our history books laud the explorers of the 19th century whereas the modern media classifies such similiar spirited folks as incomprehensible nomads. A college boy renounces law school, a house in the burbs and a guaranteed beemer for what? Berries in Alaska. Freak, for sure. John Krakauer's chronicle of Chris McCandless' sojourn into America's western wilderness digs deeper into the psyche of a modern age explorer. Kraukauer is not any less intrigued just because the geographers have already named the northwest territories. Instead, the author looks at some individuals, both past and present, who long to discover the beauty of nature that surrounds us. The main problem with his subject however, is McCandless' isolation. History has etched romantic images of our great explorers of the past. We see them as social heroes who dared to cross vast seas to find a better life. Marred by this historical indoctrination, we cant help but view McCandless as an aberration, as a disgruntled teen who is looking for an escape versus a new frontier. The novel reads very easily quoting the classic words America's most famous naturalist writers. I applaud his interest in this unique young man who, unfortunately, didnt quite pack well enough for the great white north.

Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing... yet tragic.
Review: I read this book and was totally fascinated. This book to me, is an allegory for the fallenness of the world. I do not believe the author ever intended this conclusion. However, one cannot read this from a Christian perspective and not feel pity for this talented man who never really found what he was looking for. No matter how great his resignation at the end, I feel Chris' fervor was misplaced and his potential unused. What a tragedy.

Rating:
Summary: Feels epic, plays intimate
Review: This book tells the story of a man who literally dropped out. Not just rented a trailer in the desert and did a GenX thing, but someone who really had a social agenda and idealism. Yes, Chris McCandless thought big.

But Jon Krakauer presents this story on an intimate scale, so that while reading the story, even if you were inclined to dismiss McCandless as a 60's throwback, you couldn't.

The most admirable thing about this book is that it doesn't satirize *or* elevate McCandless needlessly, but is a spare, elegant biography. It is clearly the work of a good reporter (he follows McCandless's footsteps and leaves no stone unturned), but it also creates a textured story, full of the melancholy that McCandless's awful death deserves.

A clear and incisive look at McCandless's motivations, as well as a meditation on modern society, Krakauer has created a true page turner.

Rating:
Summary: A bid farewell into the great unknown
Review: Well, let's hear it for Alexander Supertramp. It's very rare indeed, especially in these techno driven see you at the top times, to find a Chris McCandless. Chris may have been much more than some fearless soul searching for the great escape for the cancer of today's society. He was willing to act on his ideals rather than look back and say what if or fall into the corporate abyss of a Yes Sir, No Sir man clawing his way to the top. The outcome however tragic it may be, stands as a testament to a man's choice to lead rather than follow.

The Chris McCandless' of this world force the rest of us or should I say provoke the rest of us to spew out quick reasonings as to his ill wills, passing judgement on a free spirit while we sit in our comfort zones to addicted to the instant gratification and "stuff" we find necessary to survive. It's safe to say the things we find to be important in this world; money, power, the beamer and 1.3 kids, the Alexander Supertramps would be repullsed by.

Thanks for...well you know Chris.