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Into the Wild cover art

Into the Wild

Written by: Jon Krakauer
Narrated by: Philip Franklin
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Publisher's Summary

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. His body - along with a camera with five rolls of film, an SOS note, and a cryptic diary written in the back pages of a book about edible plants - was found six months later by a hunter.
©2007 Jon Krakauer (P)2007 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

What the critics say

"A narrative of arresting force. Anyone who ever fancied wandering off to face nature on its own harsh terms should give a look. It's gripping stuff."—Washington Post

"Compelling and tragic ... Hard to put down." —San Francisco Chronicle

"Engrossing ... with a telling eye for detail, Krakauer has captured the sad saga of a stubborn, idealistic young man."—Los Angeles Times Book Review

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What listeners say about Into the Wild

Average Customer Ratings
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Dated reading

A good story but the recording sounds dated, The reader rereads the same line a few times, which seemed odd, but overall it just had an “old time” sound to it. Would have loved if this was read by the author.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

makes you think

very intriguing story about a eager young man trying to find the meaning of life. I believe the theories and insights from the author as to why and how this happened are very well thought out and do a very good job of allowing the reader to try to get into Chris's head to understand him a bit. it has allowed him to pass along what he learned and what he thought he was learning until it was too late to be able to share he learned he was wrong in some beliefs.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • KO
  • 2020-06-29

In retrospect

John Krakauer portrays the perspectives of everyone who knew Chris in a respectful and empathetic manner, and gives insight into the mind of an earnest and moral if reckless young adult and those who loved and learned from him. Having read the story online, I think this book is vital to actually understanding what happened and why. The cliff notes offered by wikipedia or articles simply cannot give a full representation and they will not move you in the way this book will.

My only criticism, which isn't necessarily fair given the limitations on John not to include it, is that while the humanization of Walt and Billie is important and heart-wrenching, it was unnecessary to trivialize Chris' desire to be separate from them. This is based on the pervasive physical, emotional, verbal abuse and alcoholism-driven neglect that John was aware both Carine and Chris had suffered at the hands of their parents. The uncomfortable reality is that blood often isn't thicker than abuse (nor should it be), and that this is doubly true in cases where the abusers have no remorse or concern for the content of their actions or its reflections on their character. Given who Chris was, his convictions that they did not live up to the expectations they placed on him were uncommonly true, rather than cliche. Further, even as portrayed in this publication, it is clear that while Chris was legally an adult with the freedom to make his path, it was necessary for him to protect, alter and hide his identity at every stance from his parents, who were so bent on recovering him from his nomadic lifestyle (the first freedom he felt he truly had) that they hired a private detective to hunt down and find a son who clearly needed them to leave him alone. I realize how heartless that sounds. But maybe if they hadn't abused, chased, and denied until the bitter end, Chris wouldn'tve needed to run so far to find peace for his soul.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Quite the story

I learned about the death of Chris Candless when I discovered The Wild Truth, written by his sister Carine Candless. Once I understood the relationship between that book and this book by Jon Krakauer, I decided to read (listen) in the order the books were published (and the truth was discovered). So I stopped and listened to Into the Wild first. I have now listened to both, and recommend you do the same (and do listen to both).
Jon’s account is well told and it is only through his personal mission to find answers did the story emerge. Well done.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

chapter 8 criticisms are spot on

Pretty dry, I found myself very much in agreement with the quotes of Alaskans criticisms in chapter 8. I found it much like the movie adaptation to be a romanticized account of just another young, naive ideologically driven transient who just happened to have enough education and charisma to set himself apart from the rest of the pack.

Another above average intelligence kid with enough formal education to think he knows better than everyone else but not enough life experience and wisdom to come to terms with his own ignorance which unfortunately resulted in essentially a suicide via the narcissistic levels of arrogance described in chapter 11.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The Book Better Than the Movie

A first-rate read, giving you all the details you'd ever need on this sorrowful tale of a soul lost who finds his way at the moment of his demise.

If you have a family member seeking the same path, thrust this book into their hands, first, so they realize how deadly the north can be.

My heart goes out to all the surviving family members.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • FT
  • 2020-11-02

Troubling, but excellent

Though the book leaves some questions of journalistic integrity and may have drawn some inappropriate conclusions, I found the story and delivery enthralling. This is a book everyone should read (or listen to), if only to spark wider conversation about mental health in a late-stage-capitalist society.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great listen

Loved every second of listening to this book. I started reading it at an airbnb I was staying at and downloaded the audible version to finish it when I left.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

better than the movie, if I even have to say that.

loved this story and its details. I have always been mildly infatuated by the story of Christopher McCandless after seeing the movie when I was a teenager. this was so much more and I am not disappointed.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing!

This book was everything I hoped it would be, a real page turner. I appreciate that the author did not rag on McCandless and provided other stories from other people...kept things interesting!

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  • Craig Mitchell
  • 2007-08-07

A Book that Never Left Me

I picked this book up in an airport bookstore. You know how that goes. It's slim pickings for anything other than a NYT Bestseller, Romance novel, or books on improving your golf swing. But unlike most last-minute-airport -purchased books, I had it in my hands at every opportunity until I finished it. 'Riveting' is the word. After you've read it, 'haunting' is the word; I've never entirely escaped it.

This is the story of Christopher Johnson McCandless – a young man with tremendous Jack London and Hemingway ideals that wanders unprepared into the Alaskan wilderness. The rest of the book contains what otherwise might pass as filler – but isn’t; the stories of other young men, their idealism gone awry, who wander into the wilderness on journeys of self discovery and mad attempts to triumph over nature.

Krakauer is qualified, too. He used to be one of these reckless, idealistic young men. He was a central participant in his infamous novel “Into Thin Air”. I’ll never forget his recollection of solo free-climbing (no safety ropes or partner) a very dangerous peak, thousands of feet in the air, with only his ice pick and crampons, feeling like his legs were going to go out from under him, and worrying that he’d faint, because behind his back just out of sight, there was nothing except the great roaring of nothingness and a drop to the ground that no one would witness. Crazier? McCandless or the young Krakauer?

What you’re missing out on are the pictures of McCandless’ journeys. Make absolutely certain to get to a book store and at least flip through a copy. The cover photo sums up the reason why this book continues to haunt me. It’s a picture of a snow covered, abandoned school bus – a bleak landscape, the middle of nowhere; pines, a grey sky, no one in sight – that McCandless used as a shelter, stranded and struggling for survival in the wilds of Alaska.

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137 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Amber
  • 2012-01-01

Bitterly dissapointed with narration

I love this book. I love the story, I think it's told perfectly, a wonderful balance between the life of Chris, his family, his friends, his rides, the people Chris was likened to, and Krakauer's own experiences. To the previous reviewer who questioned the need to include Krakauer's own experience: The story could easily be told without that section, but it would have suffered for the omission. Among other things, it helped bridge the gap between "what we think we know" and "what a near-death in the frozen wilderness is actually like".

So why three stars? Well, the title says it all. This book is all but ruined by the narrator. In the book there are quotes all over the place - from Chris, from people Krakauer spoke to, from Krakauer himself. And yet the narrator does not change his voice at all for each of the different parts. I found myself getting confused - is he still reading from Chris's journal or is he back to Krakauer's voice? It completely wrenches you out of the story, and stops the heart of the story coming across.

Add to that the audio-sin of dodgy recording... a repeated line or two due to someone not worrying about listening to the final product before releasing it (probably in too much of a rush to cash in on the movie success to worry) makes this an audio book I would not recommend.

As to the actual book - do yourself a favour, buy, beg, borrow - find a copy. Remember your young ideals. Remember the times you've done stupid things that could've ended very differently. Enjoy this book.

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52 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • S
  • 2008-01-26

Wild

I had seen this book in the store many times but never thought it looked any good. Then a friend said I'd love it, so I gave it a try.

Contrary to the many negative reviews of the narrator, the story, etc. (which also made me not want to buy it), I thought the narration was suitable for the story and not bad at all.

The story is not necessarily 'new,' but it is told in such a way that it was hard to put down. And there is much more to it than 'just a guy going into the wild and starving to death.' The end is interesting and unexpected.

One reviewer said the book had no point and they just didn't get it. Well, I don't get that. The book has many points and was interesting on many levels and points of view. It is a story of survival, and of death, but it is also a story of idealism, struggle on many levels, seeking the immaterial, and a journey in itself, with much background information.

For anyone who has ever sought something more than the consumer world offers, this book will very likely push a few buttons. And for those who think this guy was just an idiot like Grizzly Man, there is much more to it than that.

See the movie after reading the book.



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46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Stephen T. Mcdavid
  • 2008-02-28

Compelling

Highly recommended. I was mesmerized as much by the author's account of his own extreme wilderness climbs as by Chris McCandless' journey of self-discovery. If you do buy this, listen again (and again) to Chris' letter to the old man who befriended and wanted to adopt him. It is a challenge to us all to forego the comfort and safety of ordinary lives and seek instead the raw experience of life without boundaries. His extremism cost him his life, but his legacy is a reminder to live each day, not merely exist.

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36 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Valerie
  • 2007-10-08

this books changes you

This by far is the best Audible purchase I have made. Simple said it is an incredible story and told in splendid manner. I think about this book often and it has changed how I live my life.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2008-04-27

Into The Wild

Wow, this book will haunt you. Jon Karkauer did some excellent research as well as shared his own simular experiances in writing this one and I am sure Chris' family really appreciated it.

The movie was great but you have to read the book to get the full impact of this story.

I just can't get this one out of my mind.
You must read it!

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  • BooksAndTrouble
  • 2015-03-29

Frustrating yet fascinating

Have you ever read a book that frustrated you to the core, but yet morbid fascination kept you glued to the pages? “Into the Wild” is one of those books. It’s been a few days since I finished it, but my mind keeps drifting off to that haunting last chapter when Christopher McCandless starved to death in a rusty, abandoned bus deep in the wilds of Alaska.

I just can’t wrap my brain around the risks he took, and the self-centered decisions he made. It’s human nature to not like what you can’t understand. So maybe that’s why I had a hard time giving Christopher (aka “Alexander Super-Tramp”) the benefit of the doubt.

I complained to my husband about my frustration with the guy. Apparently, he believes men have an innate desire to explore nature and discover uncharted territory. He also pointed out that Christopher was just a kid, and that all 20-somethings do stupid things. I get that…kind of. Sure, we all do stupid things when our temporal lobes aren’t fully developed, but what Christopher did was so extreme, and so bizarre. It can’t just be chocked up to the ol’ “kids will be kids” theory.

The thing is, I can’t get pass Christopher’s one big character flaw. For someone who so vehemently preaches the gospel for human rights and social justice, he didn’t do a damned thing for anyone except himself. Sure he visited some homeless camps, fed them a few sandwiches and dropped a few bucks in their tin cups. But really, he wasn’t concerned about helping people out in the long-term. In fact, he actually did more harm than good by hitchhiking in and out of people’s lives so quickly. He had a way of staying in a town long enough to start building relationships with new friends only to vanish into the night, leaving them confused and heartbroken.

I felt so bad for Ron, an old widower who wanted to be Christopher’s grandfather. Not only did Christopher leave Ron in the lurch, he also had the gall to send him a really offensive letter. In his sanctimonious ramblings, he belittled Ron’s conventional lifestyle, imploring him to sell all his belongings and hit the road. In essence, he told the old man that his life was crap, and that it wasn’t worth living unless he embraced an extreme, transient lifestyle. Huh. This is coming from a guy who preached the gospel of individuality and autonomy.

I’m not a big fan of people who abandon the ones they love for the pursuit of self-discovery and all that other existential bullshit. That’s why I really didn’t like the book “Wild” and refuse to read “Eat, Pray, Love.” His parents did have their flaws, his dad especially, but they were the Waltons compared to my own pitiful family. He crucified them for every injustice, large or small, including trying to buy him a new car (oh boo hoo). Coming from a girl who had to ride the bus well into her twenties, he doesn’t get my sympathies.

One thing that the author so astutely pointed out, is that Christopher was somewhat of a hypocrite. He worshipped a bunch of authors and philosophers who were drunks and sexual deviants. In his travels he even befriended a man who habitually beat up his girlfriend. But yet he could never grant clemency to his own father for cheating on his wife decades ago.

I know I’m being hard on the guy, but that’s partly because I’m so frustrated that he had to die. He was clearly a brilliant kid who could master a skill in just about any field. He was a natural entrepreneur, a computer software engineer, a writer, a political scientist. He even had plans to become a lawyer, a profession that would have allowed him to correct all of those social injustices that he so passionately decried. It’s a shame he chose to live the transient life with no intention of connecting with people and making an impact on the world. I’m all for getting in touch with nature and exploring far and distant lands, but humans are social animals. We need to share our experiences with others, a lesson that Christopher learned the hard way. In my humble opinion, if the world was full of “Alexander Super-Tramps” it wouldn’t be a better place.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Mark
  • 2007-08-27

Great Real Life Story!

It's amazing what this young man went through. There are many lessons to be learned about what is important in life. Especially for the materialistic got-a-have it now Blackberry generation.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Leslie
  • 2009-03-02

Love this book, left me wanting more!

What a perplexing young man. It is a tragedy that "Alex Supertramp" did not live to tell his own story. It would have been magnificent to glimpse into his mind, even for a second. To find out what he really was thinking. Not many men or woman hold themselves to such a strict moral code.

I wish that I could find more stories that move me in such a way.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Michael Buckingham
  • 2007-11-07

Great Read- Great Listen

I've read this book at least 5 times over the past 10 years and I'm riveted every time. The audio book is awesome but I'm disappointed that Mr. Krakauer didn't narrate it himself. He's a great author and even better narrator in my opinion. Don't pass this up.

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11 people found this helpful