Into the Wild

Rating:
Summary: A journey for solitary that went a little too far.
Review: A young man's desire for adventure and a place to hide from the world. "Into The Wild" tells of a intelligent, young man named Chris McCandless who had a desire to travel and go against the rules of society. Chris felt that today's society and rules didn't fit him and he wanted to find a place that he could fit into. But the problem was that he didn't exactly go about it the right way. He was an intelligent man, but was a little to confident about himself. He was lucky to live as long as he did and didn't prepare himself as much as he could for his last adventure. Krakauer tries to explain in his book the reasons Chris did what he did. He uses other people's stories and episodes from his own life to give his reader's an understanding of Chris's mind frame. Krakauer had the right idea, but didn't write the book in a way that was the easiest to read. He went off in tangents sometimes that lost me and made me lose interest in the book. He was able to show insight into a person that I otherwise would have thought a foolish person, but not enough to make me like him or the book.

Rating:
Summary: A very interesting book about a very interesting man
Review: I thought this book was very interesting. It takes a lot of guts to pack up and leave a very perfect life. Many people wish to do the very same thing but never get the courage to do so. McCandless wanted to be his own man and the only way he saw this happening was to start his life over, to become Alexander Supertramp. By changing his name he also changed his life, he became the person he always wanted to be. I liked how he got away from society and everything else that bothered him. He took control of his life the way most people are afraid to. I thought Krakauer did a very good job describing McCandless' life. The book details his journeys the best it can. The reader can get a good picture of what life was like for McCandless on the road and what it was like in Alaska the final months. I thought the book was written very well for what Krakauer had to work with.

Rating:
Summary: Chris McCandless was an extrodinary person.
Review: Chris McCandless had a deeper understanding for people and the world around him. It didn't matter to him what everyone one else was doing or how they were acting. In fact he did exactly what everyone else wasn't doing, because he knew there was more to life than living up to someone else's standards. This attitude is what caused him to leave his home and travel across the country. It wasn't that he didn't like his family, although he did have a few hard feelings twords them. It was simply that he had higher goals in life than to go to college, get job, and lead a boring and extremely predictable existance. Many people have this goal but few actually posses the power to leave their "safe zone" and walk out into the unknown. This makes Chris McCandless an extrodinary and refreshing human-being. Some people say that he was unprepared when he went out on his adventure. But that was part of his plan. He didn't need all of the items that other people deemed necessary. McCandless was his own person, and what other people said wasn't going to change that. He knew who he was and what he needed out of life. His story is an inspiring one that definately makes you rethink your approach to the adventures in life.

Rating:
Summary: An inspiring story poorly written
Review: I found myself intrigued by the actual story and life of Chris McCandless. A young man upset with the way his life was heading and a dream to see life how he wanted to. Sadly, his dream ended in a way I really feel he did not expect or see coming. Yet another unfortunate aspect is an author used this tragiclly heroic story to share his memoirs. The story of Alex Supertramp was displayed poorly in an unorganized, dreamlike book that was to relay crucial information of a young man's last moments on earth. The book was hard to follow, with ideas and thoughts suddenly occuring out of nowhere. Maybe Krakauer was trying to represent the flow of ideas in Chris' mind, but it sure made the book one you want to put down. I found myself enjoying it at first. Whether or not you find yourself relating to Chris and his ideas, you can't help but be intrigued as to know why. But instead I now know why several other people ventured out into the wilderness decades ago, not Chris. More time could have been devoted to Chris, his family, his school days, all of which could give us more background and clear the idea he was a crazy, naive, stubborn young man. I will give Krakauer kudos to his use of highlighted text in Chris' journals and books he had with him. This gave a little more insight into Chris. Granted it is limited what we can learn as to Chris' reasonings for the trip, but I am sure there is more out there than just comparisons to men who decided to venture out into the wild with no return. Every situation regarding these men is different and Krakauer ignores that point very well. The book had potential, the text just didn't follow through.

Rating:
Summary: I thought Krakauer poorly told Chirs McCandless's story.
Review: While reading Jon Kraukauer's "Into the Wild", I became very angry with the whole story. Of course, the entire point of reading this story wasn't my choice it was an assignment. However, the idea of reading a real life story of a young man who died in the wilderness seemed intriging. I began reading with an open mind... I thought this is an decent encounter of a rich young man who wanted to see the world in a different perspective. The donation of all of his savings to the hungry people, the act of burning what cash was left, leaving his car in the desert, and taking barely enough to survive on is what made the story. It wasn't the fact that he was seeking into the unknown that made the story it was the simple fact that he gave up mearly everything to begin this adventure. Honestly, this true story wouldn't be where it is today if he wasn't rich and sacrificed nearly everything. Another part of this story that made me mad was that his whole idea of leaving everything behind and seeking into the unknown stemmed from his fathers and his differences. If everyone who had a difference with their parents went on some trecherous adventure to prove a point where would this story be. However, the situation alone is not what made me dislike the book completely. It was Krakauer's organization. Starting out with Chris's story and then adding little related stories only confuses the readers. I don't think it makes the readers see the simularities. Also, he introduces new people Chris encounters all over the place. Therefore, the reader has to reread the previous Chris segment to remember where he was last at. I think this story is a very sad one but I don't think Krakauer did it justice in his book "Into the Wild."

Rating:
Summary: McCandless had a lot going for him, but he gave it away.
Review: I do not understand how someone with everything going for them would decided to throw it all away to go on a trip into the wild. Krauakauer does a fine job letting the reader know of Chris McCandless's past and how his past made him who he was. It seems crazy that someone who was so perfect at everything he did couldn't survive in the wilderness. There are a lot of people out there who would love to have McCandless's life, and he just throw it all away. Also, Kraukauer lets the reader know that Chris McCandless and his father did not see eye to eye about some things, and that could have lead to Chris's need to be on his own. Kraukauer's story is a little hard to understand, since he jumps around a lot when talking to McCandless old aquaintances. If the organization was better, it would have been easier to read.

Rating:
Summary: What would have worked better for Jack Krakauer
Review: Jack Krakauer, does his best in describing the puropse and meaning of Chris McCandless's life in the book "Into the Wild." Jack Krakauer uses himself and other similar incidents to help his readers understand the young man's thoughts. Althougth we will never know what caused Chris McCandless to leave his wealth, college diploma, and loving family we discover some of his ideas and feelings through Krakauer's work. After reading "Into the Wild," I feel that Krakauer could have done a better job of organizing the material that happened in Chris's journey. Jack placed similar experience of others at the end of a chapter without and reasonning why. This concept proved to be confusing when reading his book. I would have given this book a higher rating if there was more organization, and easier to follow.

Rating:
Summary: Being true to yourself
Review: Krakauer's book, Into the Wild, tells the story of a young man, Chris McCandless who left behind the conventional world and set out to be true to himself. He was a misfit with an upscale upbringing that he could not force himself to conform to. Instead of adopting the lifestyle that his friends, family, and society expected him to, he sold disposed of what he saw to be the burdons of our society: his money, car, and the mojority of his personal belongings and set off to explore the world. He was not crazy; he was simply following his heart. Many will argue that he was crazy, unprepared, and reckless. But, he was of legal age, he was willing to face whatever consequences of his actions, and, in his mind, he was only hurting himself. I applaud McCandless for truely following his dreams.

While I found McCandless's story, I was not impressed with Krakauer's writing. Supposedly his book was about Chris McCandless's adventures, explorations, and ultimatly, his death. All throughout the book Krakauer interjects stories of his own travels that really did not relate. I bought this book to read about McCandless, not about Krakauer.

It seems that Krakauer simply wrote down whatever came to mind with no sense of organization, making this book difficult to follow and even boring at time. If the McCandless story wasn't so well publicized, this book would never be a bestseller.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely a one-sitting read!
Review: Although I normally do not enjoy non-fiction wilderness books, I must admit I could not stop reading this one. I was moved by Chris McCandless and his selfless approach to life. He possessed the ability to live life the way he truly thought it should be lived, instead of falling prey to society's expectations as the rest of us often do. McCandless accomplished much more in his twenty-some years than many do in a lifetime. In addition to his high academic achievements, who else can say they donated their life savings to charity, survived soley by their own wit and by the generosity of others for two years? Krakauer did an excellent job portraying McCandless. He organized and told this tale in such a way that not only was I unable to put it down, but it forced me reevaluate my own life.

Rating:
Summary: I wanted McCandles story not Krakauers
Review: When I first started reading Into The Wild I thought it was a great book. I found myself following Chris McCandles as he was bumming around the United States. I thought that it was interesting to know that there are people in the world that would be willing to give up all their material possesions and choose to live on their own. I didnt like the fact that the story of Chris McCandles ended half way through the book. Krakauer went on to tell his own personal experience and those of others. This did add to the book showing that Chris McCandles isnt the only man in the world that ever wanted to over come nature. I felt that Krakauer was running out of things to say about McCandles so he began to tell his own story. I felt that the ending was most apropriate. It made a situation that ended in death have a some what happy or healing ending. I would recomend this book to any avid outdoorsman because I think they would be much more able to relate to the situation McCandles was in.