Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Into the Wild
Book Review: A Fascinating Tale
Summary: 4 Stars
It is hard to imagine anyone reading this book and not thinking it's anything but very well done. From the clichéd moment I picked it up, the book had me hooked. Granted, the book didn't hook for me long. Due to its small size, it took a mere 2 days to get from start to finish, hardly enough time to appreciate the excellent work manifested in the pages here.
It's probably fair to say I will always be drawn to well-written books about nature and the outdoors, and man's endeavors into it. See my reviews on Winterdance and Magnetic North to bear witness to this fact. Having said that, I believe it's also fair to say this book (and the other 2 mentioned) are tales that most people will enjoy, regardless of your relationship with nature & the outdoors.
The story in a nutshell, without giving too much away, is about a young kid who treks "into the wild" in an attempt to find himself and get away from society and its endlessly vapid and decadent existence. It is a common theme of escape & exploration of many youths, even if the path he takes is not. What transpires is a trek, as the title suggests, into the wild, the details of which are left as an exercise to the proverbial reader. It's well worth the read, to say the least.
The book is fascinating, perplexing, and hard to put down. Krakaur is very good writer who delves completely into the material at hand, fully embracing the details of the story. Because of that, I believe this is his best work to date. His strong desire to discover the 5 Ws about a tale come through on the pages, his passion easily discernable in his words.
On the other hand, I think the story suffers because Krakaur so strongly embraces this lifestyle and the main character's choices. As a result, he sometimes gives more leeway than he probably should, explaining things away with a line of reason that often doesn't follow from the details presented. To an extent, there are traces of deification in Krakaur's tale, and this detracts from the book for sure.
I won't say these things are a concrete detriment to the flow of the book as a whole. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call them wisps of doubt clouds that float through an otherwise excellent story. Krakaur isn't a dreamer. He acknowledges people make mistakes and that nobody is perfect. While his perspective may not lie in the center of the double yellow line of objectivity, he admits as much, never trying to hide the fact.
In all, the book is a great read, and quick at that. I think it will appeal to a wide range of readers and does a great job asking and (usually) answering questions which come up through the course of the narrative. He explores various details of those 5 Ws to the point of visiting some of the same places the main character did, in an attempt to experience the elements he was writing about. It comes out in the pages, developing into an easily readable book which tells a fascinating story of an interesting individual.
Well worth it, highly recommended.
Book Review: A Fascinating, Journalistic Story
Summary: 3 Stars
After reading this book, set up mostly like an extended magazine article, I became very interested and compelled with the story of Chris McCandlesss. I gave it three stars, for there were many unneeded, boring, and interrupting parts mixed in with the better areas. Starting off with the travels of Chris, halfway through the book the author begins to talk about random other travelers similar to Chris. With no mention of the main character for several chapters, I felt like tha author didn't have anything else to say about Chris, so instead he talked about early 1900's explorers. Kraukauer probably thought that they related to the travels of Chris, but I saw those short stories as major interruptions. The main thing that I did enjoy about Into the Wild was the description and insights into the personality of Chris. Not only did the author clue us in to what he was thinking and feeling, Kraukauer gave us opinions of others that had come into contact with him. While reading it, it was interesting to find out about how the rest of the world felt about Chris's travels, and how he influenced everyone he met. Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was the high occurance of passages and quotes from Chris's journal. It allowed the reader to understand his motivation and get a true feel for his journey's.Book Review: A Good Read!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
Many people disagreed with the choice that Christopher McCandless made to go into the wild. He was a young adult fresh out of college when he decided to go on "an adventure of a lifetime". Chris drops all of his posessions and gives his remaining $25,000 to charity to hitch-hike to Alaska where he can escape the norms of society. Many people say he was unprepared for his journey and immature because he did not accept any help or advice from anyone. He did what he wanted to do. That is what makes this such a good book. We all have a time when we dream of getting away from everything, but many of us leave it at that. Chris McCandless fulfilled his dream. Even though he did not make it back, he had the courage to leave his possesions and attempt to live off the land. This is beyond what many of us would even consider.Book Review: A Great Adventure Story. Carpe Diem
Summary: 5 Stars
I discovered "Into the Wild" while writing "Discovering Denali", a reference book to Denali National Park in Alaska. I once took six months from life and toured the country by motorcycle and could relate very well to Chris McCandless. But, if you ever wondered what it's really like to live in the wild, read this book. He led an amazing life while wandering from place to place. To hear from those who were touched by Chris' extraordinary qualities was also very moving. The story had a sad ending, but few people have experience life like Chris did.Book Review: A Great Book for those that want to Change
Summary: 4 Stars
Jon Krakauer does an excellent job of portraying what might have been in the mind of Chris McCandless. Krakauer portrays the drive of adventure and for the search of freedom through McCandless. McCandless not only decides to change his way of living, but actually goes out and does literally. He gives up all that was ahead of him a good job, comfortable living, in other words a good future. Krakauer goes through McCandless' journal entries and describes the adventure and the changes that McCandless went through. Krakauer descpription of the changes McCandless goes through portrays the drive inside of humanity. The drive to do something different, the drive to just go out and live, instead of sitting back and letting life go by. The descriptions by Krakauer are very decisive and to the point, but leaves the reader able to make his or her own decision on the McCandless issue of whether McCandless was selfish or rightous.