Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (1997, Paperback)

I bought this book due to the authors' other book, "Into Thin Air". And he does not disappoint in either. This book is a very thought provoking, dramatic story of a young man who seems to be struggling to find identity within himself and wanting to find peace internally and externally in this complicated world, as "Alex SuperTramp" seems to see it. I recommend this book!

If survival was the goal of McCandless then he failed because he did NOT survive. His name shouldn't even be in the same sentence with Thoreau or Emerson because he did not commune with nature to get to the meaning and spirituallity of nature as those great writers did. To compare him to them is ignorant. According to the author, all he wrote about was food. Maybe he was an anorexic looking for a way to encourage himself to eat. Since no one knows what motivated him to take off half cocked into the wilderness unprepared and ignoring advise, this explanation is as good as any. I'm wondering why a good writer like Krakauer wasted his talent on such a person when there are great people in the world who go unnoticed and would be well worth writing about.

This was a required reading in my college English class, normally I don't even read the assignments, but as soon as I read the first page I was hooked. I read this book in about 5 hours, straight through. I am going to be reading it a second time in the near future! A+

I needed to read this book for school and I thought "oh great, just another book i have to read". But as I started reading it I got hooked. You definitely want to take your time and read this book especially if you are a big outdoors person.

A riveting, almost incredulous but true story of a modern day, idealistically-driven, young man in the cut, mentally, of a Jack London or Henry Thoreau. But Chris McCandless, in my opinion, stood head-and-shoulders above either of these literary icons. Why? Because Chris MCCandless was, practically and pragmatically, so much more authentic: he actually lived out the idology much more completely, and risked so much more for the attainment of a total bond with the elements, than either London or Thoreau. That's probably the essence of this tragic story.

Some in the 49th State have demeaned this young man's motives and capabilities; however, having read the book, I believe he made his pilgrimage into the wild after two years of wanderlust preparation, exactly the way he had intended, albeit without the resultant outcome he had hoped for.

What precipitated the one fatal error he made was his reliance on authoritative intelligence, which was, ironically, something he had heretofor purposefully disregarded almost exclusively. Instead, instead of listing to self-proclaimed experts, he acquired knowledge or the road and the wild himself, first-hand. Many Alaskans are of the opinion that his characteristic disregard for the advice and direction of others, his doing it his own way as it were, was arrogant, foolhardy and led to the young man's demise; they seem to figure he got what he deserved cause he didn't listen to good advice from people who knew Alaska better than he did. And yet, again, ironically, the root cause and clearly the most likely harbinger of his ultimate, tragic death, was culled from a book written by an expert on the Alaskan wild. The information he banked on provided by this expert, likely due to an omission at worst or the authority's lack of thorough subject knowledge at best, sent MCcandless past the point of no return. For certainly, had this error been avoided, and despite other less-critical mistakes on his part, it seems that almost certainly he would have survived his pilgrimage two more weeks.

This is a true story about a young man, Chris McCandless (aka 'Alex Supertramp'), and his love of adventure. It details his travels as best as can be put together through letters and a diary he kept. His goal was to be totally self-sufficient, living off the land in the wilderness of Alaska. He lived his dream for a short time, but a combination of unforseen circumstances and insufficient planning led to his demise.
This book lacked the pictures necessary to complete the adventure in the mind of the reader. Although Jon Krakauer is a wonderfully descriptive writer, the 2 pictures in the book only left you wanting more... what did the surrounding country look like? His parents? CHRIS HIMSELF???
This story is being made into a movie by Sean Penn - I only hope it stays true to Chris McCandless, for his life was dramatic enough without any Hollywood embellishment.

I first saw "Into the Wild" as a movie. The scenery was breathtaking but I disagreed wholeheartedly with the main character Christopher McCandless and his search for an idyllic lifestyle, with what I thought, a complete lack of responsibilities. I was also a fan of Jon Krakuer having read a previous book of his. I had a complete change of heart about Chris McCandless and I don't know why. His trek and the abandonment of society became very interesting to me and I wanted to read more about it. His tragic demise struck both a sympathetic chord with me, and another of "What the hell was he thinking?" Somewhere in between all those emotions I found the book mesmerizing.

Hello, I purchased this book from a recommendation from my neighbor. It is a very interesting true story of chris mcCandless who gave up his life among people to travel across america to his dream quest to alaska. the people he met on the way and his thoughts in his diary and letters that he wrote.
very good reading. betty

I bought this book because I read an article in Outside magazine about the main character's real life experience. This isn't the type of book I would typically read, but it was an interesting story, sad, but, intriguing.

i love the whole spiral thingy!!! this book is good... thanks! I bought this book because i need it for my english class and so far so good!!

Into the Wild is a great book and I would strongly recommend it to everyone who loves travel novels. It's a fairly easy read and not overwhelmingly long.

It was great doing business with these guys. Super prompt mailing after I sent payment. Book was just as described. Thanks!!

Krakauer's book is not only a masterful work of journalism but a page-turning detective piece too. He traces the adventures of a disgruntled college grad from prestigious Georgetown University to the bus in Alaska where he died a tragic, pointless death. I love Krakauer's style and the fluid way in which he includes tales of wandering wilderness buffs along with that of the main character. I feel that everyone in Gen X needs to read this book so I bought it for my younger brother. I hope that he will allow Krakauer to lead him to some personal reflection and that that insight will make a difference in how he approaches life in this materialistic world.

it was shipped fast and the item was in great condition. i bought it because it was priced very cheap and i couldnt miss the opportunity

wants to make me travel. good book sweet read, buy it read it find out for yourself you have seen the movie. it's better than that

I bought it because I needed it for school. It is an interesting book. I would reccomend it to anyone.

book was sold as is and in what was described as sellable condtion. When the item was received, it was in brand new condition. Very happy with this purchase and very happy with the seller.

It has been over 1 month and I still have not received my book from this seller. I did not receive any shipping information as to the tracking number or if it has even been shipped from the seller. The only confirmation I received was that my credit card had been charged for purchasing the book. So now there's less money in my account, no book in my hands, and I don't have it for class. Oh yeah, it's been over a month and still have not had it if I haven't said that already. There should be a negative rating allowed on ebay

My first ever (or possibly 2nd ever) ebay purchase. Bought this book for my wife - she needed it for one of her classes. Book arrived within a few days, clean, good condition.

Would highly recommend this seller.

Thanks!

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An account by Jon Krakauer concerning a young man - Chris McCandless and his travels across the country...his dedication to these principles he holds.
Some might call it romanticism or transcendentalism but i just call it reverence.
Very powerful story, written well with deep insights from the author about the author, given to better understand what angle he approaches the account from, as his bias must be understood in order to gain better clarity of Chris.
I recommend this book to everyone.

I had never heard of this movie or this man until about a week before I ordered this book. My husband was watching the movie 'Into the Wild' and I caught the tail end and was taken aback by how many lives he touched during his personal quest. I sought to find the logic behind someone leaving everything and everyone they know seeking the peace and tranquility which comes from realizing your dreams. What was he running from or running to?

After reading this book and doing a bit of online research, as well, I now realize that, although, in the end, it was tragic...I have never been so inclined to say that there was a man who had a goal and he let nothing stand in his way of pursuing it. There was a method to his 'madness' and this story will leave you questioning yourself and your past determination in the pursuit of your own goals and wondering 'what if, what if I'd pursued my dreams and goals with the same fervor. Where would I have ended up, what would have been the cost and what kind of person would I have become regardless of the outcome? To me, this is a must read for anyone trying to understand what drives and motivates some people and why some just spend their lives wishing.

I loved this book (though not quite as much as "Into Thin Air") both because of the story itself, and the simple yet vivid writing by Krakauer. It's impossible to get into the head of a young man like "Alex Supertramp", but Krakauer does a masterful job and as always, leaves the reader breathless and always wanting more.

I've read the book 5 times and enjoy it more and more everytime i pick it up. The story of Chris Mccandless' life and tragic deathis absolutely amazing.