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Summary: Suspenseful, even though we know what happens
Review: Chris McCandless was a person of contradictions (aren't we all). At times I found him to be brave and intelligent, at others times foolish, bitter, and idealistic. What makes this read entertaining and worthwhile is that it's simply an interesting and well-written story of a young man's adventures. Krakauer does a good job of verifying the facts through McCandless's journal entries, letters, and testimony of people that he met along the way. It's impossible to tell for sure what McCandless was thinking. The brief stories of climbers and some pages dedicated to Krakauer's own quests as a youth may seem unrelated. However, they show us that Chris wasn't alone in his penchant for wilderness adventure. They help tell us what Chris may have been thinking. From the very beginning of the book, we know what happened to McCandless. If we know the ultimate ending and it's still suspenseful, then it must be worth a read.
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Summary: This book is about attempting to escape
Review: I think those readers who castigate Krakauer for including his own and others experiences in this book are missing the point. This book is about attempting to escape. Escape what? Society, convention, your own or others expectations of what you should do with your life. The Chris McCandless story is only a way of illustrating this theme; as are Krakauer's vignettes of his own and other's similiar stories.I enjoyed the book. I don't necessarily admire Chris McCandless - in the end he probably got what he asked for because he was so needlessly reckless. Those who live on the edge can't be surprised if they slip off. Keep in mind however, that the same impulses that drove McCandless out to the Alaskan woods were the ones driving many early North American settlers or those that colonized the West. They wanted to escape what their society had in store for them and make a new life. It's just that any kind of escape is nigh impossible here at the end of the 20'th century, and in his wild attempts, McCandless was probably doomed from the start.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-written. Too self-defensive. Too much justification.
Review: Christopher McCandless. Yes, I think his actions were foolish and reckless. Yes, he tried to live his dreams, but he could do so for only short periods, before he had to return to the life he liked to complain about. Yes, I would not have the courage to walk off into the Alaskan "wilderness" with a bag of rice. If one used this as one definition of "courage", it would have to be cross-referenced to "stupidity". Jon Krakower has glorified this kid by featuring him in a book. Well-written, but in the end a waste of time. McCandless did not live long enough to achieve anything near his goals. This kid lived off the kindness of many people including his parents. When those people weren't around, he died. Basically un-impressive. One can only feel sadness for all the people he left behind.
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Summary: A real page turner
Review: This was one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. However, I think Chris aka Alexander Supertramp was an idiot for travelling into the wilderness without such basics as a map, compass, and waterproof boots. Personally, I have trekked into the wilderness in the Eastern Sierra for various lengths of time, so I know what it is like, and I know the attraction of the solitude. Of course, I am always prepared for any weather situation. I also think that Alexander Supertramp was less than a man when he failed to keep in contact with his family. As Bruce Springsteen wrote; "A man sho turns his back on his family, well, he just aint no good." None of the foregoing should detract from the fine writing and research done by John Krakauer. In summary, it is a story of a misguided idealist, who plunged himself into the harsh reality of the Alaskan wilderness, paid the ultimate price, but probably had no other choice.
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Summary: Interesting book, good read, would recommend it to others.
Review: I enjoyed this book and finished it quickly. The author gives his own personal insights which I found interesting. Not sure if the question is ever answered on whether this young man was foolish or just idealistic. I bought the book not having read other reviews and was pleased with the purchase, interesting. Some bigs words I didn't know and I consider myself pretty good with language.
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Summary: Admirable man in our world of shrinking wilderness.
Review: Haven't most of us---who discover the magical beauty of the deserts and canyonlands, and the majesty of the mountains---at some point in our lives thought about what this guy had done? Yet we think about practical necessities like earning a living, starting a family, establishing careers, pandering to calls of material resource-seeking and accumulating, or that we simply have to stay in touch with family and friends who unfortunately do not share the same sentiment towards nature and wilderness. I feel somehow sad, though, that McCandless was too absorbed with his passion for wilderness that he deliberately lost touch with his family. I find it selfish of him to "disown" the parents who themselves have somehow instilled in him this love for natural beauty in the first place.
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Summary: BADASS, a must read for any outdoor lover!!
Review: a powerful book, that made me want to get up to Alaska and climb
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Summary: One of the best independence growth books ever.
Review: I have never read any book that effected me in this way. Alexander Supertramp may be considered a fool by others, but those people need to get off of their butts and do a tenth of the cool stuff that he did. I almost dropped out of school while reading the book to embark on an adventure of my own. John krakaur you have become my favorite author after reading Into Thin Air and Into The Wild. Send me a copy of Eiger Dreams.
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Summary: Grandmom's Review of Into the Wild, as typed by her grandson
Review: My impression of this young man was that he was selfish and egotistical. As he traveled from the east coast to the west coast, he met up with people who came to think a lot of him and liked him. He left them, and in some instances and didn't look back, and he didn't keep in touch with them. He had such a impact on their lives- it left them saddened and thinking about him, they thought more about him than he though about them.
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Summary: Thought provoking journey
Review: I read this book because I wanted to see if I would hate this kid for his stupidity or applaud him for his values, and I must say that I came away with a fondness for Alexander Supertramp. If life is a journey, then his death was not premature, for he did more in his 24 years than most will do in a lifetime. I do agree with some other reviewers that the organization of the book left something to be desired, and I absolutely deplored the author recounting his own life experiences, I thought it detracted from the story.
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