Into the Wild

I absolutely hated reading this book. I thought the young man came across as a pathetic, whiny, self-indulgent idiot who had no grasp of reality and an incredible sense of narcisism in that he somehow didn't need all the basics of human existence. When I saw the movie, I completely changed my mind. Sorry, Jon, for me the story struck out, but Sean Penn's directing resurrected it and gave it...more

I absolutely hated reading this book. I thought the young man came across as a pathetic, whiny, self-indulgent idiot who had no grasp of reality and an incredible sense of narcisism in that he somehow didn't need all the basics of human existence. When I saw the movie, I completely changed my mind. Sorry, Jon, for me the story struck out, but Sean Penn's directing resurrected it and gave it meaning.   hide

The romantic idea of leaving things behind and wandering off to the unknown has always been fascinating to many people. For me and my generation, the Giordano ad "World Without Strangers", adventure stories like Tom Sawyer, Casper David Friedrich's paintings, have never failed to inspire and fuel that dream further. I had my taste of such wanderlust with the 4 weeks backpacking in...more

The romantic idea of leaving things behind and wandering off to the unknown has always been fascinating to many people. For me and my generation, the Giordano ad "World Without Strangers", adventure stories like Tom Sawyer, Casper David Friedrich's paintings, have never failed to inspire and fuel that dream further. I had my taste of such wanderlust with the 4 weeks backpacking in Europe in Summer 1996(7?), and the almost all the other trips that I went. The most memorable one was Germany in 1997(?) when I nearly lost my way in the mountains on a mountain track behind the Neuschwanstein Castle near Fussen. I actually took a picture of myself thinking that it might be my farewell to the world, as I was attempting to trek precariously on icy rocks atop a cliff...When I came across this book, mentioned in "The Long Tail", I knew I wanted to read it. The book opens with a postcard Chris McCandless sent out:April 27th, 1992Greetings from Fairbanks! This is the last you shall hear from me Wayne. Arrived here 2 days ago. It was very difficult to catch rides in the Yukon Territory. But I finally got here.Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be a very long time before I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don't ever hear from me again I want you to know you're a great man. I now walk into the wild.And so it went, with certain degree of romanticism, the life of Chris was told - how he made his way to Alaska, meeting people along the way before becoming completely isolated; the books he read and notes in his journal - "Happiness only real when shared." (189) Only in extremity that we realise such simple truth, isn't it?   hide

This movie shocked me; the book has done the same to me but from another angle. I guess, everyone of us has a little 'Christopher McCandless' in us. I can say for myself, I have one in me. But it's about whether we let it go to do something extraordinary. Christopher had that guts! I believe that his action has already caused a big conflicts of points of view... some see him brave...more

This movie shocked me; the book has done the same to me but from another angle. I guess, everyone of us has a little 'Christopher McCandless' in us. I can say for myself, I have one in me. But it's about whether we let it go to do something extraordinary. Christopher had that guts! I believe that his action has already caused a big conflicts of points of view... some see him brave and courage, some thinks that he was just stupid and not prepared. In the midst of all these debate, I want to know is it our place to judge his action? What sadden my heart the most is, when he truly understood what happiness was all about; it had become too late. He hadn't really tasted this new found happiness in his life time. This book does have more details that the movie couldn't manage to tell. I'm pleased though the movie actually has done a good job in illustrate the book so well.   hide

Phenomenal! I have this thing for reading books about young guys that are reckless adventurers. This book gets deep into the soul and motivations of Chris McCandless. He reminds me of Aaron Ralston who wrote, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" which I highly recommend. I cannot truly understand the desires of the young man to prove his worth as a man by seeking adventure alone in the...more

Phenomenal! I have this thing for reading books about young guys that are reckless adventurers. This book gets deep into the soul and motivations of Chris McCandless. He reminds me of Aaron Ralston who wrote, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" which I highly recommend. I cannot truly understand the desires of the young man to prove his worth as a man by seeking adventure alone in the wilderness. But I can appreciate the desire to get away from society and live off the land. The stories of similar explorers and the quotes from famous adventurers such as Tolstoy and Thoreau make this an engaging tale I will never forget.   hide

So I got through this book a while ago but I have been slacking on my reviews. Anyways, I think its pretty good. I maintain my stance that Krakauer likes to take too many opportunities for self-endorsement (for lack of a better term) in his books, but I guess if I were a totally famous writer I would do the same thing. Many questions remain about how this poor guy died, and I like that...more

So I got through this book a while ago but I have been slacking on my reviews. Anyways, I think its pretty good. I maintain my stance that Krakauer likes to take too many opportunities for self-endorsement (for lack of a better term) in his books, but I guess if I were a totally famous writer I would do the same thing. Many questions remain about how this poor guy died, and I like that Krakauer didn't push his theories too hard. This book is def worth the read- a great journey into the mind of a self-proclaimed social outcast. I think we all have a bit of Chris McCandless in us. A pretty good account of this tragic soul's hitchhike through his own fictional reality. As usual, Krakauer makes his authorial presence well known by offering his less-than-subtle personal spin on a total stranger's journey.   hide

I listened to Krakauer's reading of this a long time ago and hated it. Listened to it again before seeing the movie and found that I enjoyed more the 2nd time, but mostly because I'm a big Krakauer fan. The movie was much better than the book though...unless you are also a lover of MR. K. My son nailed the major issue with the movie (not having read the book and not caring a whit about...more

I listened to Krakauer's reading of this a long time ago and hated it. Listened to it again before seeing the movie and found that I enjoyed more the 2nd time, but mostly because I'm a big Krakauer fan. The movie was much better than the book though...unless you are also a lover of MR. K. My son nailed the major issue with the movie (not having read the book and not caring a whit about Jon Krakauer) he said: They are trying WAY to hard to be deep. I told him they had to, because the kid dies. His face sort of dropped and he said, well, then it's just a stupid story. Yup. Sad too. The sound track however, is great. I finished the Vancouver Marathon the day after seeing the movie with Eddie Vedder's version of "Big Hard Sun" blaring in my ears. People tell me I looked pissed off...but, I felt like I was in bliss. Thinking of that goddamn kid, too deep into the wild, unable to get out alive.   hide

Christopher McCandless was the bright kid who excelled in his academics and sports, who came from a well to-do and seemingly loving family. Somehow he gave up his life (permanently or not, did he even plan it in the first place?), donated his scholarship fund to charity and left for the wild. What drove him to this?Jon Krakauer traces Christopher "Alex Supertramp" McCandless's trail,...more

Christopher McCandless was the bright kid who excelled in his academics and sports, who came from a well to-do and seemingly loving family. Somehow he gave up his life (permanently or not, did he even plan it in the first place?), donated his scholarship fund to charity and left for the wild. What drove him to this?Jon Krakauer traces Christopher "Alex Supertramp" McCandless's trail, providing evidences and assumptions as to this fateful journey, first into the south and then to the cold Alaskan frontier. The book may appear to be heavy on the details (i.e. locations, survival techniques, history), but their relevancy and effortless incorporation into the storyline add interesting information. Krakauer makes you identify with McCandless's motivation in embarking on this adventure, pushes you to ponder and question, while feeling a rising feeling of joy (over his new-found freedom), frustration (over his stubbornness), pity and sadness (over his solitude and tragic death).The opening page has a self-taken photograph of McCandless, back against the abandoned Fairbanks bus, looking hollow in the cheeks but smiling from ear to ear. He was clearly contented for most parts, as per his diary notes. To a point, seeing more pictures and reading the story, I felt everyone had the need to venture into the wild, at least once in our lifetime (with more adequate support).   hide

I loved Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" and I was hoping to love this one as well. Unfortunately, what makes Thin Air so great is that Krakauer was actually there, experiencing the events that he writes about. Wild was written from research and even embellished in some places. It's a bit disjointed in that Krakauer jumps from writing about Alex's journey to side-bits of information that may or...more

I loved Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" and I was hoping to love this one as well. Unfortunately, what makes Thin Air so great is that Krakauer was actually there, experiencing the events that he writes about. Wild was written from research and even embellished in some places. It's a bit disjointed in that Krakauer jumps from writing about Alex's journey to side-bits of information that may or may not feel relevent to Alex's story. I tried hard to enjoy "Into the Wild", but I just couldn't get there. Alex is, I'm sorry, wildly insufferable. The extra information that was included was simply not interesting to me. I know some people will disagree, but that's just personal tastes. My personal fancy was not tickled by this one.   hide

Two major discrepancies exist between the book and the film: (1) Krakauer never describes Chris's dad, Walt, as a physically abusive man. In the film, this characteristic is one of Chris's major impetuses behind deserting his family; (2) Chris's starvation indeed was poison-related - but not in the way conveyed in the film. Krakauer believes Chris ingested the SEEDS of the...more

Two major discrepancies exist between the book and the film: (1) Krakauer never describes Chris's dad, Walt, as a physically abusive man. In the film, this characteristic is one of Chris's major impetuses behind deserting his family; (2) Chris's starvation indeed was poison-related - but not in the way conveyed in the film. Krakauer believes Chris ingested the SEEDS of the non-poisonous wild potato root, which he had been eating for weeks without harm. However, as Krakauer reveals, the seeds, at that stage of the summer, would have contained a dangerous level of the alkaloid swainsonone. This extremely toxic alkaloid brings its subject to starvation, no matter how much food he or she eats. In Chris's gaunt and feeble state, he never had a chance to hunt, and ultimately cook and consume, enough protein-laden food to absorb the poison.   hide