Rating: 
Summary: What was he looking for?
Review: I didn't think anything could compare to Into Thin Air, but Krakauer has proven to be a great auditor of the unusual adventurer. I know people who went to high school with Chris McCandless, and none of them could beleive that he just walked into the woods of Alaska one day. That is the most interesting, and disturbing thing about this story. Krakauer does an admirable job of getting into McCandless' head to see what was there. With his usual attention to detail and fascinating descriptions, I was taken in. A good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Wilderness inside and out...
Review: "The heart has reasons that reason knows nothing of." (Blaise Pascal)"Into the Wild" is Jon Krakauer's account of how a young man, Chris McCandless, sought to transcend his time, his society, and even himself by journeying on foot into the Alaskan taiga with no more gear than he could carry on his back. Though the country he entered eventually overcame him, his story is one of triumph, of meeting the world cleanly, with most of the gauzy interface of civilization ripped away. Krakauer's telling of the young man's final months on this planet is beautiful and eloquent. Most of all, this narrative shows us that Wilderness, while powerful in the extreme, pales in comparison with the vast and unknown territory that lies within the human heart and soul.
Rating:
Summary: A spirited journey written by a dynamic author
Review: Krakauer leaves no path uncovered and no crevice unexamined in his first novel, INTO THE WILD. It is intense, articulate, and though "detaily" at times, it is as good as any he has written, for all of you INTO THIN AIR devotee's. True to Krakauer's style; the ideals, wanderlust, and short life of Chris McCandless will lead you to believe McCandless was more than just a stubborn young man, clueless in the Alaskan unknown. You will know Chris by the end of the novel, and you will know Krakauer too. Using poignant, and often painful, memories from Krakauer's own early-twenties, he attempts to explain, in part, what McCandless might have been searching for during his journeys. These parts are so dense at times you want to put the novel down to ponder Krakauer's insights at length, but they are so gripping, you won't be able to stop reading. A fascinating, tragic story that proves it is short-sighted to see Krakauer as a great writer of the outdoors. He is simply, a great writer.
Rating:
Summary: Makes you think!
Review: Before reading this, I never thought for a second how dangerous 'walking into the wild' could be ... I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I thought it was well written. Although it does tend to ramble slightly in the middle, it had me hooked. I find myself trying to find out more information on the other stories mentioned .... well done!
Rating: 
Summary: Keep the original short story : forget the book
Review: The author saw an opportunity to expand upon one of his short stories and drag it out into a full length book. He created controversay with the story and controversay sells books. His descriptions of Chris ("Supertramp") as a hero or a fool in the "wilds of Alaska" does challenge the reader to form his own opinion of Chris's life. However, to fill the empty spaces, the author put in his own experiences (which were interesting) that only detracted from Chris's story. For all of Chris's attempts to withdraw from the people who loved him at the end he seemed to be reaching out. For all his,"back to nature..live off the land without any help from others" he relied on the generosity of strangers to see him through in his trek across the country.When he was finally "on his own" completely...he fell apart. I resented the author's comparison of Chris to other 'great'wild life adventurers by recounting the "foolish" things they did in their early days. Shouldn't Chris have learned his lessons over the years he "tramped" across the country before he headed into the wilds of Alaska? The author has a talent for excellent descriptive passages of nature's extremes (Into Thin Air is his best example). He should have added a follow up to his original story on Chris rather than force it into a full length book. Obviously, I am on the "Supertramp was a selfish,foolish boy whose life and death did nothing to support the purity of the life style he claimed to living" side of the issue. In fact, I think he would have been very upset at this attempt to examine and argue his motives...and to make such a monetary success of it.
Rating:
Summary: Survival?
Review: I picked up this book planning to send it to a friend, Ken, who had walked North years ago - but turned back. I read it and decided not to send it. I felt it was a warning to me, to curb the impulse to leave society; that if I choose to do that, I must be prepared to face my own death. A warning to take it gently, and not be destructive in my frustration with civilization as it stands. But after reading this book, I want to leave all the more. The author seemed to give, as an underlying motivation for Chris' disappearance, his silent, unexpressed anger at what he saw as his father's immorality. This perhaps explains something, but I think it detracts from the courage and uniqueness of Chris' action. And from its universality. There is something in this book that will resonate with a lot of people. But I will not send it to Ken, who found a way to survive.
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Summary: A man who wanted to live a life less ordinary
Review: While Into the Wild has a few formal problems with structure (namely, Krakauer leaves us hanging for far too long in the middle of the book before we eventually get back to McCandless's journey), the book is moving, stunning, beautiful and powerful both in the story itself and the story-telling that occurs. Krakauer's research, interviewing and hypothesizing are all facinating and brings the wild life of McCandless to the page, while making a reader question his or her own position and goals in life. Why do we live? To what end? These are two of the major questions McCandless seems to ask himself, and this books asks them of us. Also, many seem to be complaining about the personal story Krakauer puts toward the end of the book. Give me a break. It was terrifying and some of the most engaging prose in the book. Read it. Read it. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: Jon Krakauer has been very lucky with his assignments with Outside Magazine. Granted, getting stuck in a blizzard on Mt Everest isn't what most people would describe as lucky; however, he sure has profitted fom writing Into The Wild and Into Thin Air. This book is very well researched but does tend to drag at points, especially when he brings in his own personal accounts. Over all, I would say he's an alright writer who has benefitted from being at the right place at the right time. This book is definitely worth your time.
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Summary: Into the Wild should be considered good literature.
Review: I recently read Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, for an English assignment. I was amazed by just how much the story of Chris McCandless touched and amazed me. His idea of human nature especially got to me, and forced me to look at my own life. Chris McCandless believed that people today need security, and are afraid to branch out and try new things because of our fear of the unknown. We may be in a situation we don't like, but won't take the initiative to change it because we are scared to. We'd rather be unhappy and secure, instead of taking a risk to find happiness. This idea of human nature forced me to look at my own life and ask myself a few questions. Such as, am I happy? Are there things in my life I want to change, but I am afraid to do so? Chris McCandless, although very wealthy, gave all of his money away to a hunger organization. This is ironic, considering his tragic death by starvation. After giving away his money, he arrived out west to travel for two years before finally beginning his odyssey in the Alaskan wilderness. Chris lived out his dream, free from the draconian constrictions of society.
Rating:
Summary: A boy too intelligent for us to understand
Review: Many people believe that McCandless was somehow stupid or idiotic.I thought of this myself after reading the first four chapters. Then, I read a quote in the beginning of one of the chapters and it set me off to really think deeply about why McCandless had isolated himself without the right tools."[He] believed that wealth was shameful, corrupting, inherently evil..." This is absolutely true. Most of the world's sins are committed on the basis of greed or selfishness. If we learned to live life without our useless trinkets, not only will we be absolutely happier, but our society wouldn't have as many sins as it does. The happiness that people feel from a large amount of money is false. It is, in fact, just the feeling of your greed being satisfied. McCandless knew this and that's why he decided to go off "into the wild."
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