Into the Wild

Rating:
Summary: Finding The Person Inside of You
Review: Into The Wild Into the Wild, by John Krakauer is a very mysterious piece of literature. This piece is one that people could interpret differently. My take on this piece is one of praise. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, even though it was an assignment. The reasons for my liking of the book will be shared in the following essay. I had many different parts of this book that I liked. The first couple of chapters in this book were extremely interesting to me. These chapters were interesting to me because they went away from the traditional form of a book. The first couple of chapters revealed the fate of Chris Mccandles. There was no wondering involved, the author flat out states that he was found dead in a bus. The book continues on by trying to find out what caused Chris's death. I find this method of organizing the book very effective in getting the reader interested. After the author got my attention, I felt that the drama and adventures of Chris are the things that keep the interest of the reader. I read this book all in one night, which shows that the book is hard to put down. I do not regularly read books for pleasure, so when I was confronted with this book, I was a little upset. It has been a long time since I have read a novel for fun. This book has changed my outlook, and I believe I will start reading novels for pleasure, as I once did. I think this statement stands out for the power of this book, and I feel that everyone should read it. It is a story about finding yourself, and more importantly one that shows what to do and what not to do when discovering the person inside of the person you think you are.

Rating:
Summary: What it is to romanticize and to be totally ignorant.....
Review: Jim Gallien said it best when questioned about why he did not contact authorities when he left McCandless on the stampede trail. "I thought he'd be OK. "I thought he'd probably get hungry pretty quick and just walk out to the highway. That's what any normal person would do." Good call Jim, I agree with you there. My biggest problem with this book is Krakauer's attempts to immortilize, or at the least, make him out to be a hero. A question to ponder, would Krakauer have written this book if Chris had been the average person, or if Chris had survived? It seems that in our society we captitilize on the misfortunes of others. Krakauer's ability to convey his words into magic are clear, but let us be careful that we do not incite others into foolish actions and\or cituations. Now some of you may deem me cold hearted and uncaring because of my thought of McCandless as being a fool. As I first started the book I just figured that Chris has a death wish but could'nt pull the trigger, so to speak. Unfortunately as I proceeded into the book I figured that he just read one to many fictional novels. His love for authors like Jack London is apparent. I myself have a deep and yes, a little romantic, love of the wild. The difference is that I have grown up in an area where I experienced it enough to respect it. AS should any person that has ever felt the wrath of a cold winter. I to would like to wander off into the wilderness and dissappear, but I would not do it with only a 22 rifle and a ten pound bag of rice. In the end I respect Chris for his Bravery. Although he would have been far more brave to face his problems in the world rather than fleeing from them.

Rating:
Summary: Into the Wild, by Krakauer - a good book.
Review: I read Into the Wild as an freshmen compisition assignment for school. For the first time in ages I read something enjoyable and meaningful. I could relate to Chris McCandless's perspective on life through knowing friends like him and myself. Like Krakauer i have a hard time believing this young man was ignorant or had a death wish. I'm sure the thought of ending the pain in Chris's starved state with his gun was on his mind. However he didn't, he longed for abundant, spiritual, and purposeful life. Away from jumping through hoops of the all to familiar s**** life.

Rating:
Summary: Why is the question, not what
Review: I felt that Krakauer did a fine job of investigating,presenting, and developing theories to who McCandles was as a person and what he did. But for all you readers out there who wanted to know exactly what McCandles did and why, I got three words for you HE WAS ALONE, therefore noone knows exactly what he did. So the best thing, or at least the only thing Krakauer could do, is to make comparisons, and allusions to other people in order to make sense of what happened. And I feel that Krakauer did make as much sense of what happened as he could and therefore he accomplished his goal. This, i felt, makes the book worth the read.

Rating:
Summary: A well written and informed account, hard to put down.
Review: This book, a compelling account of a young man testing the threshold of his own indurence, is a stunning epic. Krakauer fulfills his duty of capturing the main character and expressing him through the pages of the text. Krakauer is able to extend a connection between the reader and the main character Chris McCandless, leaving mother's heartbroken, father's humbled, and young people questioning their own need for adventure. As I read Krakauer's words I was left with many questions about McCandless, "Was he cold for severing ties with his family?, Was he looking for an escape from his problems?, Did he intend to perish in the wild?" Fortunatly, Krakauer was able to answer my questions as only I can percieve them and the next reader may totally condem my opinion and vice versa, thus leaving a very personal connection between the main character and the reader. Matt C.

Rating:
Summary: Deep Details and Misconceptions
Review: Into the wild by Jon Krakauer was a well thought out piece. It did a great job of explaining what Chris McCandless did and suggesting why he did it. False conclusions and misconceptions can be made about Chris without having read this book. Krakauer's mountain climbing background gives him more credibility as the author of this piece. I liked the book and the deep detail that went into understanding the thoughts and motivations of Chris McCandless. C.Cole (Tice)

Rating:
Summary: Krakauer's version of the McCandless story (Into the Wild)
Review: I found Krakauer's Into the Wild mildly exciting and fairly interesting. I think that he does a good job of telling readers about the life of Chris McCandless and others like him. When you read this book keep in mind when you reach the point where Krakauer tells about other such persons that he's most likely trying to give other perspectives and insights to McCandless's fatal expedition to Alaska and he shouldn't be condsidered as trying to "fill up space". As for McCandless I think Krakauer hits it pretty close except for a few things. While it's true McCandless was fairly intelligent and resourceful I don't belive that McCandless's death was based on not having the proper grasp of nature, but more that he didn't prepare for the dangers he would face. More specificly what little he brought with him. Krakauer also makes a point against those of you who think McCandless had a death wish because if he did he wouldn't have tried to get out. I'd suggest this book to anyone who likes the outdoors. (Joseph D. W.)

Rating:
Summary: Krakauer cashes in
Review: I felt that the story told itself. I'm assuming that Krakauer did a wonderful job in reporting the story in "Outdoor" magazine. However, he should have left it as a magazine article. There simply was not enough material to be covered in a book. Krakauer used information about other explorers and useless trivia to fill space. This book could have been tastefully written in less than 100 pages and the story would have been the same. I enjoyed learning about what happened on McCandless's journey, but I became irritated from having to read through Krakauer's thoughts and BS. Krakauer did a superb job in providing information about McCandless's journey. He structured his paragraphs well and kept the information easy to follow. The information about McCandless's journey was well represented but lost in the vast majority of useless information. For example, opening of the 3rd paragraph on page 104, "Walt is wearing gray sweatpants, racquetball shoes, and a satin baseball jacket..." I'm wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, Who gives a rat's @$$??? I would like to commend Krakauer, but I can't.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Once I began it I was unable to put it down. Krakauer does a wonderful job portraying Chris' story. He seems to admire Chris' character. I think the book could be improved by removing the extra biographies of other adventurers. They may have been similar to Chris' story, but I don't feel they were needed in the book. I think these additions took away from some of the excitement of the book because Krakauer would quickly trail away from Chris into these other stories. As for Chris, I think he may have been a little on the "loony" side, but I think he was also a determined young man. He seemed to always begin a task with the intention of finishing. I admire the drive he displayed during his lifetime. He seemed to be a free-spirited person who was very patient and determined in his adventures. Personally, though, I would never burn all my money and that's why I feel he may have been a little crazy. Overall, the book is very interesting and exciting to read. That's why I gave it an 8.-- Dillon D.

Rating:
Summary: A book for the nature goer.
Review: If anyone is ever excited to travel and explore new places, then this is a book for them. I enjoyed reading this book because it seemed very interesting to me. Once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. The author does a magnificent job explaining to the reader what it was like that Cris McCandless went through in his lifetime. It made me feel like I was right there with him on his journey. I gave this book an 8 because of the middle section of this book, where Krakauer talks about the other people who were like McCandless and ended up the same at the end. This book will inform a person who is intending to go out into the wild on how to be better prepared for what their getting into and how to survive. Jason C.