Into the Wild

Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. 2007. 207p. ISBN 978-0-307-38717-2. Available on the library shelves at 917.98 KRA and as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Christopher Johnson McCandless marched to his own tune. After graduating from college, McCandless disappeared from his family’s life and began an odyssey across the continental Western United States, Mexico, Canada, and Alaska. Seeking to discover the true world, McCandless whittled down his possessions to almost nothing, and for two years he traveled on his own schedule, making friends along the way. His dream, however, was to go to Alaska, enter the bush, and survive only on his skills.

Throwing away the literal map as well as the figurative one, he entered the Alaskan wilderness in April of 1992, hoping to experience a wilderness explored by no other and a true natural experience alone in the woods. Carrying a rifle, ammunition, and a large bag of rice, McCandless plans on spending months in the wild before heading out. What was to be a summer of reflection and contemplation in the wild turns into a tragic story of survival and deadly mistakes.

While some saw McCandless as a hero for leading his life off the beaten path, and others saw a villain who ultimately wasted his life away to reach an impossible ideal, most readers will empathize with McCandless’ purpose but shake their heads at his hubris. Readers who enjoy survivalist stories like Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet and Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm will appreciate what drove McCandless forward and guided him to that fateful bus in the Alaskan wilderness.