Into the Wild

When one examines the short but eventful life of Christopher Mccandless it would be very easy to either dismiss him as an ignorant (possibly suicidal) fool, or an enigmatic icon of self reliance and non-compromise. Jon Krakauer, equipped with an understanding of searching souls born of experience, reaches the perfect equilibrium. He does not make the young man more than what he was, but he does not dismiss him as an idiot. Jon understands that Chris was thoroughly human, he wasn't all the things he set out to be, he was in the process of becoming, as are we all. This account is written with economy, lucidity and most importantly passion. For without passion, the driving force behind the wandering young man, it would be impossible to empathize with this enigmatic, restless soul.

it's been a couple of months i saw the movie 'into the wild'. at first, it has really touched me and i got fascinated with young irresponsible runway-from-everything-and-everyone chris macandless. as soon as i could i bought the book which i just finished. while reading it, i had the opportunity of learning the cruelty of a young mand who just woke up one day and found out that he simply didn't fitted into any place. albeit i'm still enchanted with 'alex', it should be remembered the suffering he imposed to his parents and, most of all, to his sister, who seemed to be the best proof alex could get of the very existence of all he tried to reach and to prove. who's right? maybe alaska.. but the story is great indeed.
andré g, Brazil

I read this book years ago and picked it up again recently. What a great read! It explores youthful restlessness and a describes very accurately the desire many of us have to break free from the shackles of society and "live" for a little while. This feeling is a yearning for something dangerous and adventurous (whether climbing a glacier-covered mountain peak alone in Alaska or setting off on a cross-country journey with nothing but the clothes on your back), without worrying about the consequences. This sentiment is very common in younger people (e.g., Chris McCandless was about 22 when he began his odyssey). This book is great for anyone looking for a fun book to lose themselves in, and who are either young or young at heart.

I have not seen the movie yet, but the book is great. I'm interested to see just how accurately the movie tracks the book.

Este bestseller permitió a Krakauer obtener la reputación de notable escritor de aventuras. Este libro se basa en la historia real de Christopher McCandless, un joven proveniente de una familia acomodada de la Costa Este quien, tras graduarse en la universidad, donó todo su dinero a obras de caridad y se embarcó en un viaje por el oeste americano bajo el nombre de "Alexander Supertramp". Dos años después, McCandless fue encontrado muerto en la desolación de Alaska. En su libro, Krakauer traza paralelismos entre sus propias experiencias y motivaciones y aquellas que guiaron a McCandless a su trágico final. Krakauer también narra la historia de Everett Ruess, un joven artista a que despareció en el desierto de Utah en 1934, cuando tenía solo 20 años.

Nestor Vallester
www.tesmel.com

This book was amazing. It goes much further into the idealism of "going into the wild" then the story of Alex himself; unlike the movie. Recommend to any person ever willing to pass on the idea of society and return to our roots.