You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse
Graphic: Death, Grief
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Suicide
Graphic: Cursing, Death
Graphic: Death
Graphic: Child death, Death, Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Suicide
Minor: Cannibalism
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death
Moderate: Suicide, Injury/Injury detail
Author: Jon Krakauer
Genre: Non Fiction
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: January 13, 1996
T H R E E • W O R D S
Tragic • Mysterious • Absorbing
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In April 1992, Christopher Johnson McCandless donated his savings to charity, abandoned his car along with most of his possessions, and burned all of the cash in his wallet before hitch hiking to Alaska, where he walked into the wilderness to create a new life for himself. Four months later his decomposed body was discovered by a moose hunter. In Into the Wild Jon Krakauer reconstructs the tragic true-story of how he came to die in the wilderness.
💭 T H O U G H T S
This is one of those books that has sat unread on my shelf for far too long. I decided to tandem read a physical copy along with listening to the audio, and I appreciated this experience more than I anticipate I would have had a done either alone.
Krakauer has delivered an objective and comprehensive account, neither praising or critiquing Chris, of what lead to his death. It's is obvious he has thoroughly researched and investigated this case, and the narrative is extremely interesting and well-written. Krakauer captures the essence of nature unlike anyone else.
As someone who values time spent in nature (by no means do I consider myself to be an expert) this book really opened my eyes to the realization that mistakes do happen, even to the most skilled of expeditioners. I was interested in the story, but also saw this as a cautionary tale.
Overall, a worthwhile reading experience that left me reflecting and wanting to know more.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of Wild and/or Between a Rock and a Hard Place
• travel enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Some people feel like they don't deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past."
"I think maybe part of what got him into trouble was that he did too much thinking. Sometimes he tried too hard to make sense of the world, to figure out why people were bad to each other so often."
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness
Philosophical, living off the land, adolescent arrogance or ignorance?
Raised some interesting questions. I really liked the author's well researched approach and how they wove in so much information into a larger narrative. Just a fascinating take on a sad story that you might not give much thought to, ordinarily.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death
Moderate: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicide, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Suicide, Classism