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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

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 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

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