Books

Into the Wild

by Jon Krakauer

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. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a... (more)

Top tags: non-fictionadventurebiographynonfictionalaska (all tags)

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Liked It

2 of 3 members found this review helpful.
carrie c
  • Rated 4 stars

Another must-read by Krakauer. Edgy insight into that rare, but facinating creature I call the "nature ascetic." IMHO, some of Krakauer's best writing. // 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...

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Didn’t Like It

1 of 3 members found this review helpful.
Leslie B
  • Rated 1 stars

The story is about a man who gives up his life to live in the wilderness. He's found dead in a broken down bus in Alaska.
I read this book for a summer reading list, and I hated it. It is extremely boring to those that like fast-paced books. Most of the book is spent rambling about the author's experiences. When it isn't, the author is idolizing the man in question for his stupidity. This book should belong in the Darwin Awards section...

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Community:
  • Rated 3.952874 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 4 stars
 

Newest Comments

  • Avro K

    avro k said:

    Ask a question or start a discussion about this book"Happiness only real when shared."
    The best thing about the life of Chris McCandless was the conclusion he left behind. Those five words exclusively explain whether his decisions were wild, good, right, wrong, bad or foolish.
    Many non-fictional stories are well told but sometimes they lack something: the conclusion.

    I plan to read this as soon as I get my hands on it. Its a pity I didn't know the book existed before I saw the movie :( still Eddie's songs melded so well with the story

    posted Wednesday, May 27 2009
  • Andro

    andro said:

    better: the book or the movie?

    posted Thursday, May 7 2009
  • Mona

    mona said:

    I agree with the slow read, I actually liked it more when he got into the details of other headstrong explorers that lost themselves to the "free" world. I felt for Chris, but at times you think to yourself how stupid his decisions really were.

    posted Thursday, January 22 2009
  • vickie p

    vickie p said:

    I enjoyed this book for the most part. At times it was a slow read. Very interesting story line. I enjoyed the movie also.

    posted Wednesday, January 21 2009
  • House

    house said:

    All I can say it that I'd rather die young and happy than old and desolate. Personally I think McCandless did the right thing, by searching for a better place. Money does not buy happiness, but selfreliance does.

    posted Thursday, December 18 2008 ( | view 1 reply )

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