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Into the Wild | 
 enlarge | Author: Jon Krakauer
Publisher: Pan Books
Category: Book
List Price: $16.50
Buy New: $8.55
You Save: $7.95 (48%)
New (12) from $8.55
Avg. Customer Rating:  1192 reviews
Sales Rank: 744100
Media: Paperback
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.6
ISBN: 0330351699
Dewey Decimal Number: 364
EAN: 9780330351690
ASIN: 0330351699
Publication Date: March 12, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Brand New! Immediate Shipment!
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Amazon.com
What would possess a gifted young man recently graduated from college to literally walk away from his life? Noted outdoor writer and mountaineer Jon Krakauer tackles that question in his reporting on Chris McCandless, whose emaciated body was found in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness in 1992. Described by friends and relatives as smart, literate, compassionate, and funny, did McCandless simply read too much Thoreau and Jack London and lose sight of the dangers of heading into the wilderness alone? Krakauer, whose own adventures have taken him to the perilous heights of Everest, provides some answers by exploring the pull the outdoors, seductive yet often dangerous, has had on his own life.
Product Description
This is the haunting story of 22-year-old Chris McCandless, who walked into the Alaskan wilderness in the spring of 1992 and whose body--along with a camera with five rolls of film, an SOS note, and a cryptic diary written in the back pages of a book about edible plants--was found six months later by a hunter. Simultaneous hardcover release from Villard. 2 cassettes.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1187 more reviews...
 Chase von, guess they have this book two places on here.... August 18, 2008
This is an amazing story that touches on every emotion contained within us all! I'm hard pressed to understand why this is only the second review but this is a story that will go down as one of the most powerful, enlightening, and heart wrenching ever told! Sean Penn has from what I have seen secured his place not only as one of the greatest actors to ever live, but also one of the greatest directors to ever live!
I intend to own both the movie and the book and add them to my collection of books you just don't read once and movies you can always go back to when it becomes a necessary to be reminded of what truly matters.
Lastly, I've seen the interviews and I take my hat off to the family for being so brave as to allow what I feel having learned of it, a must story to be allowed to be told...
Not only do I believe Chris is looking down from Heaven with only pure love for his family...
Part of me feels he is looking down on us all with love as well...
With the ultimate respects to the Family, The Author, and Sean Penn and Eddie Vedder for from what I've seen, being able to bring this to life in such a way that it is completely fulfilling the ultimate beauty this story contains...
Chase Von
Also would like to share this with all involved...
~Vibrations~
The sweetest of words
Need not be uttered
To be heard
Unspoken Whispers
Are carried to
Their intended source
By Messengers
From Heaven
That is why
Loud Statements
Often are not heard
Or are vaguely
Understood
And why
Silent Truths
Delivered by the Angels
Vibrate
The Very Soul
By Chase Von
tlp
The Last Panther
All rights reserved
I share that because
I think this story will be vibrating mine
Until I too leave as well as so many others
With respect and love and light again
Chase Von
(As a poet I see so much of my own story reflected in this as well)
Your Chance to Hear The Last Panther Speak
A mystery and tragedy told well August 17, 2008
Into the wild is a story of a young man searhing for more out of life. He goes on a journey into the depths of Alaska but doesn't live to tell his tale.
Krakauer decides it's his job to tell McCandless' story on his behalf. With only a journal and a few eye witnesses Krakauer pieces together McCandless trip from beginning to end. He even writes himself into the story eplaining his own mountain climbing trip to the Devils Thumb. He uses so much description that you feel yourself walking on thin ice, fearing that at any moment you could fall to your death.
McCandless and Krakauer share many things in common for example they both went into the wild searching for answers but on Krakauer's voyage he didn't receive any of them. Another similarity they shared is their screwed up relationship with their fathers.
Throughout McCandless pilgrimage he touched the lives of many people he met along the way. And they all had their side of the story to tell. They made had their doubts and opinions to why McCandless left in the first place but it never stopped them for keeping a special place in their hearts for him.
The story is such a tragic one and while reading this book I admit I shed a few tears but no matter how hard it became to read about this unfortunate tale I just couldn't put it down. Every chapter Krakauer left you wanting more. I just had to know how it ended from the moment I started reading. We can all relate to this book because I think we all have a little bit of McCandless in us. No matter how we feel about the choices McCandless made we all have to confess this if probaly one of the best nonfiction books ever written and I must congratulate Krakauer for being able to pull it off so well. Thats why it deserves five stars.
A Character Study Disguised as a Bestseller August 16, 2008
"Into the Wild" is an engrossing read...it grabs and keeps your attention, traces an interesting story arc and covers a unique subject matter. That being said, the real draw and merit of this book is the character study enmeshed in the broader story.
Krakauer's strong storytelling skills, his subject matter expertise and his in-depth reporting on the story of Chris McCandless combine to weave an engaging...and disturbing...tale. This tale addresses the "what" part of McCandless's journey into the wild, but it is the "why" part of the journey that really makes this book interesting.
In addressing the question of "why"...why would McCandless do what he did...Krakauer draws on a number of other like stories to build an interesting and introspective character study.
As with another book written by this author, Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster, Krakauer's own persona looms large. In the case of "Into the Wild," I found Krakauer brought his own experiences too far into the center of the character study aspect of this book. That being said, the author's perspective is interesting and relevant, just too front-and-center when compared to the other personalities paralleled over the course of the book.
All in all, this is a good book and I recommend it to readers interested in a general entertaining and informative book, as well as to readers with an interest in a good character study.
Troubled man takes on the Wild - and loses August 14, 2008
Jon Krakauer's `Into the Wild' is a very interesting look into the late life of a college graduate who gives away all his possessions and becomes a vagabond: Only to meet his demise in an abandoned school bus in the wilderness outside Fairbanks, Alaska.
The trip between graduation and death is a bizarre study of Christopher McCandless (aka Alexander Supertramp) and his 2 year journey across south-western and mid-west America, ending-up in Alaska.
The book is a strong testament of a young man with an upper-class upbringing who becomes seduced by wilderness and adventure, only to ultimately become its prisoner. Krakauer's book is primarily testimonials of people who knew Chris and their experiences with him. Most were fleeting, few lasting for more than several weeks. McCandless' journey without any destination took him many places and cultures within the US. Yet his intent was to learn - then flee. An escape artist, his final destination to Alaska is testament that even the bright and educated can learn plenty from sheer experience. McCandless almost obsessive introversion and despondency of his father sets the stage for a disastrous ending.
Anyone who has camped outdoors for any length of time will be amazed this man made it that far: Until finally, when the luck that protected McCandless' runs out. His meager writings found in the bus, initially show more cockiness than respect for nature. Later, when his body begins relying on itself for survival, McCandless becomes scared and aware of his imminent end. Only then does the educated idealist come to terms with the power of nature and the serious lack of planning on his behalf.
Sadly, this is another testament to why no one goes into a forest without the necessities: A map, compass, shelter and food.
I highly recommend this book. If there is anything one can learn from this book is what NOT to do outdoors, then this is it. The writing style of Krakauer is fluid and easy to ready. The character study of McCandless is much more abstract. I do appreciate the writer's attempts to rationalize the mentality and actions behind McCandless. Yet the writer, himself a seasoned outdoorsman, can't help but detail the futility of this misadventure. The writer's own outdoor experiences help paint a better picture of the enviroment McCandless experienced in his travels. I commend him on tackling such a complex character.
 Tried to like it, but... August 14, 2008
Like a few other reviewers, I felt this was a padded short story. I was looking forward to being done with it. I suppose 3 stars rather than 2 is appropriate, because I've given long thought to this. It's hard to decide whether I'm reviewing the book, or the choices that Chris McCandless made.
His choices I could relate to, as I was young myself once, and thought "there is more to life" if I just travel and experience. But, as for Krakauer painting a picture of a special guy: bright, kind, brilliant, understandably dealing with demons, and some analogies to underscore his point -- well, I only partly bought it. Perhaps the survivalist is a guy-thing, because I prefer to work out problems without risking my life.
The question remained of his death: was he reckless and niave? Suicidal? Mentally ill? Perhaps this is the most intriguing part of the story. If it's true that he made an innocent mistake in choosing a plant to eat, then it is tragic that he almost survived but some relatively trivial choice was his downfall. But no one knows for sure. And he was happy and content, until the final couple of weeks. I'm glad for him, and glad for the peace of mind this must give his family. But, what he learned, he just barely passed on with highlighted texts and some scant notes in his journal.
So, the book, because of its woeful lack of a complete story, launches into speculation and a romantic Kerouac-like tale of a long line of frustration, due to lack of maps, planning, and money. So, then more speculation follows of analogies to other tramps in the wilderness: wise, crazy, suicidal, determined. What happened to them? Suicide, disappearance... Leaving behind distraught families. No one knows if they found what they were looking for. And what about the 2 chapters on mountain climbing? The author understands the need to push it to the limits because of this inner conflict and machismo; I could almost understand, but not relate. Sounded like a terrible ordeal.
Therefore, the author tries really hard to explain why we should not just write this guy off as a wacko. In the end, I saw his point, but still thought it was a bad idea all around. It was difficult to get to the end of the book, and I was waiting for the big conclusion. So, "Chris read this book and highlighted this part". Big deal. I was not convinced that the experience was worth it. So, am I judging "Alex" or Krakauer? I guess that is why I'm still pondering. I've concluded that Alex is not someone I can relate to. And the author doesn't completely convince me that it was worth it. In the end, it was all about the food... yeah, surviving. Not the beauty of nature- not the lessons learned from nature. Just finding enough to eat. Tragic that it didn't yield a more profound conclusion.
By the way, I am a big fan of Eddie Vedder and his soundtrack to the movie! Incredible! And, I have the DVD at home, but haven't watched it yet. Maybe the movie will "reach" me better. We'll see.
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