Title of the Book: Into the Wild

Author: Jon Krakauer

Number of Pages: 215

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Review:

“No man ever followed his genius till it misled him. Though the results were bodily weakness, yet perhaps no one can say that the consequences were to be regretted, for these were a life in conformity to higher principles” - Walden, Or Life in the Woods. One of many passages highlighted in Chris Johnson McCandless’ plethora of a library was documented during his misunderstood and ultimately fatal adventure to Alaska. 

Chris Johnson McCandless was a very intelligent and out-of-the-box thinker that had an untameable adventurous spirit. This “call of the wild” that laid within him was ultimately his tragedy. While the reason for his death still questions many, his story leaves an undeniable imprint that cannot be erased. The seeds of adventure inside this man were planted as a child and grew ever so stronger when he aged with time. The McCandless family was fabled for traveling the country in their RV and never let an opportunity to do so go by. This was really the start of Chris’ desire to travel and nothing ever stopped him - even family secrets and disrupted relationships. 

Into the Wild is a story that captures the many different points of view of Chris Johnson McCandless. As Chris hitchhiked across many states, he met new people and he made new friends. It was these friends who were able to see the side of Chris that his own family failed to acknowledge. Chris never failed to make an impression on the people he met, some so impressionable that he changed their lives. While he lived as a wanderer, he was never a lost wanderer. 

When I read this book, I didn’t know what to expect. I thought I was going to read an account that was so famously told by various newspapers. I didn’t expect to read a story about a possibly crazy man and it narrate the personal side of it. But this story was relatable in the strangest ways. I read it and the story of a man that’s been dead for almost thirty years made a big impression on me. This book captures your attention and heart in the most unconventional way and once you're hooked, you’re in for the long haul.