Into the Wild in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Jun 04, 2007 Nadine rated it it was ok

Shelves: non-fiction

Overall, I was pretty disappointed with this book. The genesis of the book was an in-depth magazine article, and I suspect that the article was superb. But I just don't think there's enough here to warrant an entire book. As evidence, I point to several lengthy chapters that have nothing to do with the underlying story--they discuss other people who have gone "into the wild" and, surprisingly, Krakauer includes a whole chapter about himself.

My other problem is that I found myself unable to ident ...more

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Jun 25, 2011 Jessica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, book-club

I'd already seen the movie and knew the story, but I really enjoyed reading this book about a young man who decides to drop completely off the radar and go explore various wilderness areas of the US, leading ultimately to his death in an abandoned bus outside of Denali National Park in Alaska. Christopher McCandless - or "Alexander Supertramp" as he called himself - is definitely not an easy person to understand or relate to, but I thought Krakauer did a very good job of trying to get into his h I'd already seen the movie and knew the story, but I really enjoyed reading this book about a young man who decides to drop completely off the radar and go explore various wilderness areas of the US, leading ultimately to his death in an abandoned bus outside of Denali National Park in Alaska. Christopher McCandless - or "Alexander Supertramp" as he called himself - is definitely not an easy person to understand or relate to, but I thought Krakauer did a very good job of trying to get into his head.

Alex was clearly a very intelligent and charismatic person, but he possessed a recklessness that made his ending seem inevitable. I understand why some people want to write Alex off as an idiot kid who should have known better, and why others want to glorify him as some kind of American Adam hero, but I appreciated Krakauer's evenhanded treatment that allowed Alex to be a sympathetic character without suggesting that he had traits the rest of us should aspire toward. Krakauer obviously admired Alex, and there's a certain "there but for the grace of God go I" introspection when Krakauer compares his own youth to Alex's life, but he keeps bringing the reader back to the human side of the story, all the people who cared about Alex and the small gestures that showed that Alex cared about them too even while he ran away from each of them.

When Alex's body was found in the bus, nobody knew who he was or how he had ended up there, and I think one of the most remarkable things about this book is how fully Krakauer was able to put together the story of Alex's travels from the day he left town after his college graduation to the day his body was found inside the bus. The fact that this book exists is by itself no small journalistic feat.

I do feel that the two chapters where Krakauer talked about his own youthful adventures and mishaps exploring the Alaskan wilderness were unnecessary. He had plenty of insights to help us get inside of Alex's head without needing to switch gears and talk about himself for two chapters, and I don't feel like my understanding of the story was improved in any substantial way by the addition of that information. ...more

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Apr 25, 2010 Arianna rated it really liked it

Shelves: borrowed

Perhaps I'm more emotional than usual lately, but I cried while reading this book, and I haven't done that in a long time. Perhaps it was because this was a too-true story, and that really struck close to home. The story was tragic, in the end. I started off so frustrated by Chris McCandless, but Krakauer really manages to paint a story of someone who was simply in love with the wild - not disrespectful, not full of hubris, not blind to the perils of living a hermit's life, remote from the compa ...more

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Jun 20, 2013 Deb rated it it was ok

To be fair, I did not read the whole book... But if it takes me 3 weeks to read 70 pages and I am totally disengaged, I have to let it go...

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Jul 01, 2007 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

July 2007: A very well-written and compelling book. The only part I didn't think *quite* fit with the whole was Krakauer's account of his near-death climb, but I do understand his desire to share it.

Similar in tone and style to "Dead Men Do Tell Tales" by William R. Maples.

Reread June 2011. ...more

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Jul 05, 2010 Renata rated it liked it

Shelves: grownup, nonfiction

A well-written, engaging read. And a quick read, too. I related to McCandless's angst about This Modern Life to some extent and enjoyed Krakauer's journey. It's not my fave book ever or anything, but I liked Krakauer's style enough to want to check out his other books. ...more

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Mar 27, 2008 Rae rated it really liked it

Shelves: bio-memoir

An engrossing biography of Chris McCandless, a young adult who is found dead in an abandoned bus in the Alaska wild. This is a great story about agency and consequences.

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