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I always find it there. I bought this book for my son after he saw the movie. Again I always go to amazon when I am in need of a book.
From the time this young man made set off to the wilderness of Alaska, he became Alexander Supertramp. All that Chris had on him when ventured up to into the wilderness of Alaska was a.22 caliber rifle, a ten pound bag of rice, a field guide of edible plants and berries, cheap hiking boots, and the clothes on his back. Krakauer does a fantastic job presenting his research and his own opinions and commentary in this book. From start to finish, I read this book knowing the terrible fate of Chris McCandless. The feelings that you develop for Chris are extraordinary, and I think that is what makes this book one of my favorites of all time. Just like a snake, he had shed his skin.
"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. He is the man who took his live by the handlebars and did something so bold, that his story could almost come off as fiction. But the way that Krakauer tells the story gives McCandless a near mythical status. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. To many, Chris could be described as naïve, and his story, depressing.
The story begins with the discovery of his dead body in an abandoned bus. The life he saw ahead of him was going to be untouched by the society that had poisoned his previous one. This bit of writing from the young man who escaped society really embodies his view on life.Chris had changed his name, burnt all the cash in his wallet, and left all of his possessions behind. He had given away everything, the only thing that he held on to from his former life was his name, and by changing that he was now free. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." -- Chris McCandless.
Properly paced with just the right amount of tangents. My son borrowed it for a while and then it landed at my mother's house where she finished reading it this year. Gooch Author of Wingtips with Spurs As a parent to five children, I can only imagine the anguish that filled each day of their lives.
Krakuer's work tends to stick with you long after you have finished the book. I hope you find this opinion helpful.Michael L. I had enjoyed Jon Krakuer's book Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster. Somehow, it made it back home to my bookcase so I thought I would write a short review (or opinion) before placing it back in its rightful place among the nic-nacs, pictures and family of books. Throughout the book, I had an extreme sadness for the family that he had left back home.
Highly recommended for those who enjoy well-versed non-fiction. While some may admire McCandless's courage, I can only read this from the aforementioned perch of parenthood. I am not saying he is wrong. Well written. The writing is first rate as the author takes us on a journey he made trying to understand the mindset of this intense young misguided man. Just different opinion. Thinking that Into the Wild would be of the same high quality, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I had made a wise choice.
Therefore, I come away with a different conclusion than the author. While their thoughts and dreams are noble, they are never quite prepared for that heavy dose of reality that life sometimes rains down on our heads. I had originally purchased the book back in 1997. I have personally known a few young men (and women) that fit into this stubborn idealism.
Krakauer tries to give the readers the conclusion and makes them understand how it happened. As a fifteen-year-old, I can completely relate to the feeling of wanting to be out in the wilderness surviving on your instincts. It gave me a motivation to find out the events that led up to his death in an abandoned bus in the wilderness, and causing me to read the book in about two sessions. As this is a true story, Krakauer was able to accurately recount the adventures of Chris through talking and hearing of stories by other people who met him along the way. Although, Krakauer had already told me the ending, and there would be no surprise for me at the end, like many books. It allows the readers to figure out and understand the actions that lead up to the finding of McCandless's body in an abandoned bus in the wilderness.
After all, every kid wishes they could be a free soul and be able to wonder off into the distance. "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. Krakauer has a large amount of experience in the wilderness that is similar to McCandless, and he recounts pieces of his own experiences throughout the Into the Wild.I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about adventures in the wilderness and a story of a boy who wanted to turn his life in a completely different direction.
Along with the narrative, Into Thin Air, about an expedition to Everest, Krakauer has a large amount of experience in writing about the dangerous side of the wilderness, a skill that is prominently portrayed in this book. He wants to be able to rely on his surroundings and be able to survive on nature, rather to rely on material objects for him to be able to survive. This book caught my attention from the beginning and held my attention until the end, turning every page into an adventure for me.
But in this example, Krakauer tries to give the conclusion in the beginning to give the reader a feeling of confusion, making the reader want to figure out what happened to this young kid. The title, Into the Wild, is extremely fitting for this book, as he just seemingly vanishes into the wild without a trace. From my personal opinion, I usually never liked finding out the conclusion in the beginning of the book. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless.Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter."Although the author, Jon Krakauer, starts off the story with the protagonist, Chris McCandless, who has taken an adventure into Alaska and never returns, Into the Wild is a compelling story that can be read and enjoyed by all ages.
Every page I found there was a surprise for me. McCandless is ready to endure nature and whatever it throws at him. Krakauer really wants the reader to be able to recount on McCandless' journeys and understand his reasoning behind all of them. He leaves behind his previous life, burns his cash, loses his car, and takes no maps or anything for himself into the wilderness.
You'll read about Chris as a kid, his family, his relationship with his father and his sister, impressions of Chris from those he met while vagabonding across the US, etc. There is information about plant toxicity and speculation about what might (or might not have) caused Chris to become so weak. So, if you're looking for a gripping narrative based on a compelling true story. For those who are really intrigued by what happened to Chris (the young man who died in Alaska) and want to understand his motivations, the book may be worthwhile. look elsewhere. There is a long chapter on other 'adventurers' who took on challenges that cost them their lives.
After reading the book, I felt it was much more a psychological study of the behavior of loners, than it was a book about any compelling adventure. Sad, perhaps interesting as a psychological study, but not particularly compelling otherwise. Chris just went into the wild, got in over his head, had no backup plan (by design) and paid with his life for his passion to be apart from people. In addition, it seemed to me that much of the book was a digression. But what wasn't there, was a compelling or dramatic story that could drive a narrative.
Krakauer spends lots of time interviewing those who could give insight into Chris's psyche. There is even a chapter about his parents going to the bus where Chris died and looking over the site. For example, there are long quotes from various authors at the beginning of each chapter. You'll also read about others, who, like Chris, struck out on their own to challenge themselves against nature. I had the strong impression that Krakauer was adding filler to have enough material to make a book out of the magazine article he wrote for Outside Magazine.
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