Into The Wild Book Review

Into The Wild by Jon Kakauer

Written on 4/27/2015

During my four month long battle to start, read, and finish this book I the story of Chris McCandles fatal adventure into the Alaskan wilderness, mixed reviews from other Peace Corps Volunteers who's eyes had landed on the same pages I finally just put down.

A few were positive, one PCV said that while she read the book, she felt she was going through a similar experience - submerging herself into the wilderness. Another volunteer erupted with rage over the stupidity of the book. Arguing that it was a how-to for losing your life into the wild and pleaded people to do copy cat adventures and losing their life to hubris.

After reading it, I can see how both perspectives are valid. Although, I see why Jon Krakauer, as a journalist, saw this book as an important story to put into paper. Before making a fatal mistake in the Alaskan wilderness that undoubtedly made him an infamous adventurer, McCandless had a interesting affect on the lives of people he encountered on his journey, relentlessly pursued his dream, and tragically changed the lives of his family forever.

At first, the repetitiveness of McCandless encountering people, changing them ever-so-slightly with his veracious nature, and then leaving quickly seemed very selfish and was difficult to get through. With each new person McCandless met, it seemed he soon would be leaving them anyway. So why waste the time reading more about them? But, Krakauer was illustrating the impact of McCandless death on everyone he reached - he wasn't just an aimless youth with a overwhelming sense of wunderlust.

Many people, like my fellow PCV, found his story pointless and negative. Krakauer printed just a few of the angry letters that flew in after he wrote the first feature story on McCandless. And I realized then why he wrote the book, he wanted to prove that McCandles wasn't just a ignorant, prideful young man, he had a purpose that was deeper than that.

Krakauer argues that McCandles followed a his dream and moral code in a religious way. He wanted to test himself and test his limits, which many people can relate to. Krakauer relates McCandless to teens driving too fast, taking too many drugs; young men and women joining the military (or the Peace Corps...), and otherwise doing things that seem reckless to the older generation. And it's the daring nature to try new things and embrace that danger that makes changes (both positive and negative) in the world, or in McCandless place in a few people's lives, and that makes his story and other's like his worth writing about.

Although, McCandless story isn't just an inspirational one, its also a tragic tale of loss. He left his family without a word and didn't leave a trace of where he was headed. They spent years worrying about him only to experience the loss of their son and brother. After reading the entire book, a possible copycat would hopefully be discouraged by the hurt of the people McCandles spent only a short time with, his friends, and his family.

Billie McCandless, Chris's mother, states at the end of the book "Some days are harder than others, but its going to hard every day for the rest of my life."

Although Chris McCandless story is interesting, inspirational, it is still a tragic one of a life ended much too soon.

P.S. I also watched the movie and I can honestly say that although the book and movie share a title and a story - the story telling is drastically different and cannot be compared. Both are artful ways to tell the story, both are worth your time.