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Into the Wild

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Into the Wild

By: Jon Krakauer
Narrated by: Philip Franklin
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Summary
 In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself...

"Terrifying...Eloquent...A heart-rending drama wandering of human yearning."--The New York Times

"A narrative of arresting force. Anyone who ever fancied wandering off to face nature on its own harsh terms should give a look. It's gripping stuff."--The Washington Post Adventure Travel Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Art & Literature Authors Nature & Ecology North America Outdoors & Nature Science United States Inspiring Heartfelt Alaska
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Critic reviews

"A narrative of arresting force. Anyone who ever fancied wandering off to face nature on its own harsh terms should give a look. It's gripping stuff."
—Washington Post

"Compelling and tragic ... Hard to put down."
—San Francisco Chronicle

"Engrossing ... with a telling eye for detail, Krakauer has captured the sad saga of a stubborn, idealistic young man."
—Los Angeles Times Book Review

"It may be nonfiction, but Into the Wild is a mystery of the highest order."
—Entertainment Weekly
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Most relevant
Krakauer's narrative of McCandless' last months is a piecing together of letters, postcards, interviews and notes scrawled in the margin of a book about edible plants. Despite the somewhat scattered threads, Krakauer manages to sew together a tale which is both incredibly inspiring and sadly cautionary.



Readers of this book will, I imagine, fall into one of two camps. One group will see McCandless as an ungrateful fool who didn't make the most of the privileged situation into which he was born. Yes, he gave his money to charity, but it could be argued that someone with McCandless' brains and education could have made more of a difference to the world around him if he had used his idealism and tenacity (and that $25,000) to benefit others instead of indulging his desires to be an intrepid explorer.



The other camp will admire McCandless' daring willingness to live a life less ordinary. He wanted to do something so he did it. He wanted a different kind of life and wished for a different kind of world, and did all he could to make these things a reality. That's a noble ideal, right? Brave even. But also, yes, undoubtedly selfish and somewhat foolhardy.



I find myself with a foot in each of the camps. I understand McCandless' thinking. He was looking for an adventure, for a new and more poignant existence in some untamed part of the world. Unfortunately, he was looking for the sort of adventure that just isn't possible now.



He could have chosen a better adventure. He should have taken measures to ensure that his need for change wouldn't have hurt those who cared about him. But he was also willing to "be the change". In my mind, that made him special.

Inspiring and cautionary.

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A sad but well written (and read) story of an idealistic young man, perhaps born out of his time.
The author uncovers a surprising amount of detail about his subject's literal and philosophical journey. It is read in an engaging and appropriately unhistrionic style. There are some editing errors, mostly repeated sentences here and there, but it's not a deal breaker.
Gripping and heartbreakingly redemptive. Recommended.

Food For Thought

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A book I read when it first came out, well researched story. My only dislike as with any book is quotes from other authors, preachers or general barmpots at the start of each chapter, stop it.

mostly good.

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Flawless book. Excellent performance and only the editing repeated short pieces several times, I'd say perfect.

Nothing short of brilliant

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This was a Book Group read - decided to use an audible credit. The book is slim but this seems to go on for hours. Gave up with more than 4 hours to go.

Too long

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