Into The Wild Review -- Destinee Wright

Title of the Book: Into the Wild
Author: Jon Krakauer
Number of Pages: 203
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Review:

On April 27th, 1992, Chris McCandless walked into the wilderness of Alaska, and he never walked back out.Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild follows Chris McCandless journey from a childhood with well off parents, to his disappearance from his family, through his journey that led him into the wild. Krakauer tracks down the people and places that Chris left an impression on while he searched for himself, up until he died in the Fairbanks bus 142. 

I found the most unique aspect of this book to be Krakauer's comparison of his life to McCandless’ lives and their adventures. I believe that his connection to McCandless as he originally researched his life and death is what made the book and the writing so compelling. Krakauer uses a lot of descriptive and eloquent language in order to describe McCandless, as well as the places he went, and the impressions that he left on people. He seems wistful and curious as he writes about the journey McCandless went on. The structure of the book was also very unique and interesting. The way Krakauer used the structure of the novel to create a larger picture of what happened, while also providing background, insight, personal narratives, and other related stories makes the book more difficult to comprehend, but also significantly more meaningful. Had Krakauer simply tracked through McCandless’ life chronologically as many other biographies and autobiographies seem to do, the book wouldn’t have felt as significant or meaningful as it did. 

Some of the most memorable parts of the book were when Krakauer detailed the interactions that Chris had with other people, and how he affected those people. It highlights how extraordinary Chris really was. In one instance, with Ronald Franz, Chris spent only two weeks with him, and Franz wanted to adopt the boy by the end of it. Upon finding out Chris’ death, Franz broke over 20 years of sobriety and decidedly renounced his religion. The way that Chris resonated with people was one of the most interesting aspects of the book. 

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is an enjoyable book for any person, however I believe that it will resonate with anyone who feels a need to do something important with their life, anyone who romanticizes the idea of touching people’s lives and leaving an impression in places that someone may never find. Tracking Chris’ journey and following in his mindset opens the idea that one person can make a difference in the lives of everyone they meet. While an enjoyable read for anyone who cares to read it, the book is overall inspiring and thought provoking for those who can connect with the character of Chris McCandless.