Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer

Into The Wild is a true story account of a young man's journey into the Alaskan wilderness to attempt to 'live off the land'. Sadly, this isn't a story with a happy ending; Christopher McCandless' body was discovered by hunters only four months after entering the wilderness, seemingly dying of starvation. Jon Krakauer initially wrote an article for 'Outside' magazine shortly after McCandless' death, reporting on the tragedy. But Krakauer became more intrigued by the whole mystery surrounding the apparent avoidability of the young man's death. Into The Wild details the whole background of events leading up to Chris McCandless' decision to venture into the ...  Read the complete review

Considering this book is based around the tale of a young man who died weak, starving and alone in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness, its story is a strangely uplifting one. Christopher McCandless died aged twenty-four in a remote part of the state, and although his death may have been the result of a combination of misfortunes, his predicament was wholly an intentional one. Having left school, McCandless recast himself in the image of his alter-ego, Alexander Supertramp, and set off in search of the Wild. McCandless/Supertramp's motivations were several, but he was essentially driven by idea of the freedom granted by the wild places, and that there ...  Read the complete review

Into the wild For some reason I had not heard any of the hype involved with this film and therefore did not even know it existed. I saw it one day on the shelf of Woolworths and decided to give it a go. The fact that I had heard any of the hype for this film allowed me to enjoy it much more, as my expectations were not elevated and I could make a calculated conclusion without any other opinions or views getting in the way. I believe that all the characters in the film were cast expertly, even though some do not match up very well with the person they are based on in reality. I however am willing to let this go, firstly because I am not obsessed with ...  Read the complete review

'Into the Wild' tells the extraordinary true story of Christopher McCandles. Unsatisfied with the lies and values of his parents, and a society that seeks material success above spirituality, Christopher 'drops out of life'. He gives all his money to Oxfam, and tramps around the USA. The people he meets form a rich tapestry, and he eventually travels into the Alaskan wilderness, never to return. The book is written by John Krakeur, and ( to the book's detriment) he is quite an intruding narrator, continually reminding the reader of his own life experiences. Whilst that is his perrogative, I couldn't help but feel like saying "shut up John, we're not here ...  Read the complete review

'Into the Wild' written by Jon Krakauer, is the story of Chris McCandless who turned up dead in the Alaskan wilderness aged just 24. Krakauer, who first covered the story of the McCandless in Outside magazine, became intrigued by the huge amount of interest the story generated, particularly by the number of peope who wrote in saying they knew the young man. Krakauer spent a year researching the story of McCandless and 'Into the Wild' is the result. The book covers a number of events that occured during McCandless's travels across North America and the reasons behind his descision to take to the road. Krakauer provides a fascinating insight into the mindset of Chris ...  Read the complete review