Into the Wild

By Jon Krakauer

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • 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. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter. This is the unforgettable story of how Christopher Johnson McCandless came to die.

"It may be nonfiction, but Into the Wild is a mystery of the highest order." —Entertainment Weekly

McCandess 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. Not long after, he was dead. Into the Wild is the mesmerizing, heartbreaking tale of an enigmatic young man who goes missing in the wild and whose story captured the world’s attention. 

Immediately after graduating from college in 1991, McCandless had roamed through the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir. In the Mojave Desert he abandoned his car, stripped it of its license plates, and burned all of his cash. He would give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and, unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be free to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature presented. Craving a blank spot on the map, McCandless simply threw the maps away. Leaving behind his desperate parents and sister, he vanished into the wild.

Jon Krakauer constructs a clarifying prism through which he reassembles the disquieting facts of McCandless's short life. Admitting an interest that borders on obsession, he searches for the clues to the drives and desires that propelled McCandless. 

When McCandless's innocent mistakes turn out to be irreversible and fatal, he becomes the stuff of tabloid headlines and is dismissed for his naiveté, pretensions, and hubris. He is said to have had a death wish but wanting to die is a very different thing from being compelled to look over the edge. Krakauer brings McCandless's uncompromising pilgrimage out of the shadows, and the peril, adversity, and renunciation sought by this enigmatic young man are illuminated with a rare understanding—and not an ounce of sentimentality. Into the Wild is a tour de force. The power and luminosity of Jon Krakauer's stoytelling blaze through every page.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 22, 2009
• ISBN: 9780307476869

Jon Krakauer

Jon Krakauer is a mountaineer and the author of Eiger Dreams, Into the Wild, (which was on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year and was made into a film starring Emile Hirsch and Kristen Stewart) Into Thin Air, Iceland, Under the Banner of Heaven and Where Men Win Glory. He is also the editor of the Modern Library Exploration series. He has received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. According to the award citation, "Krakauer combines the tenacity and courage of the finest tradition of investigative journalism with the stylish subtlety and profound insight of the born writer."

Book preview

Chapter One

THE ALASKA INTERIOR

April 27th, 1992

Greetings from Fairbanks! This is the last you shall hear from me Wayne. Arrived here 2 days ago. It was very difficult to catch rides in the Yukon Territory. But I finally got here.

Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be a very long time before I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild. Alex.

POSTCARD RECEIVED BY WAYNE WESTERBERG IN CARTHAGE, SOUTH DAKOTA

Jim Gallien had driven four miles out of Fairbanks when he spotted the hitchhiker standing in the snow beside the road, thumb raised high, shivering in the gray Alaska dawn. He didn’t appear to be very old: eighteen, maybe nineteen at most. A rifle protruded from the young man’s backpack, but he looked friendly enough; a hitchhiker with a Remington semiautomatic isn’t the sort of thing that gives motorists pause in the forty-ninth state. Gallien steered his truck onto the shoulder and told the kid to climb in.

The hitchhiker swung his pack into the bed of the Ford and introduced himself as Alex. Alex? Gallien responded, fishing for a last name.

Just Alex, the young man replied, pointedly rejecting the bait. Five feet seven or eight with a wiry build, he claimed to be twenty-four years old and said he was from South Dakota. He explained that he wanted a ride as far as the edge of Denali National Park, where he intended to walk deep into the bush and live off the land for a few months.

Gallien, a union electrician, was on his way to Anchorage, 240 miles beyond Denali on the George Parks Highway; he told Alex he’d drop him off wherever he wanted. Alex’s backpack looked as though it weighed only twenty-five or thirty pounds, which struck Gallien—an accomplished hunter and woodsman—as an improbably light load for a stay of several months in the backcountry, especially so early in the spring. He wasn’t carrying anywhere near as much food and gear as you’d expect a guy to be carrying for that kind of trip, Gallien recalls.

The sun came up. As they rolled down from the forested ridges above the Tanana River, Alex gazed across the expanse of windswept muskeg stretching to the south. Gallien wondered whether he’d picked up one of those crackpots from the lower forty-eight who come north to live out ill-considered Jack London fantasies. Alaska has long been a magnet for dreamers and misfits, people who think the unsullied enormity of the Last Frontier will patch all the holes in their lives. The bush is an unforgiving place, however, that cares nothing for hope or longing.

People from Outside, reports Gallien in a slow, sonorous drawl, "they’ll pick up a copy of Alaska magazine, thumb through it, get to thinkin’ ‘Hey, I’m goin’ to get on up there, live off the land, go claim me a piece of the good life.’ But when they get here and actually head out into the bush—well, it isn’t like the magazines make it out to be. The rivers are big and fast. The mosquitoes eat you alive. Most places, there aren’t a lot of animals to hunt. Livin’ in the bush isn’t no picnic."

It was a two-hour drive from Fairbanks to the edge of Denali Park. The more they talked, the less Alex struck Gallien as a nutcase. He was congenial, and seemed well educated. He peppered Gallien with thoughtful questions about the kind of small game that live in the country, the kinds of berries he could eat—that kind of thing.

Still, Gallien was concerned. Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten-pound bag of rice. His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions of the interior, which in April still lay buried under the winter snowpack. Alex’s cheap leather hiking boots were neither waterproof nor well insulated. His rifle was only .22 caliber, a bore too small to rely on if he expected to kill large animals like moose and caribou, which he would have to eat if he hoped to remain very long in the country. He had no ax, no bug dope, no snowshoes, no compass. The only navigational aid in his possession was a tattered state road map he’d scrounged at a gas station.

A hundred miles out of Fairbanks the highway begins to climb into the foothills of the Alaska Range. Alex pulled out his crude map and pointed to a dashed red line that intersected the road near the coal-mining town of Healy. It represented a route called the Stampede Trail. Seldom traveled, it isn’t even marked on most road maps of Alaska. On Alex’s map, nevertheless, the broken line meandered west from the Parks Highway for forty miles or so before petering out in the middle of trackless wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. This, Alex announced to Gallien, was where he intended to go.

Gallien thought the hitchhiker’s scheme was foolhardy and tried repeatedly to dissuade him: I said the hunting wasn’t easy where he was going, that he could go for days without killing any game. When that didn’t work, I tried to scare him with bear stories. I told him that a twenty-two probably wouldn’t do anything to a grizzly except make him mad. Alex didn’t seem too worried. ‘I’ll climb a tree’ is all he said. So I explained that trees don’t grow real big in that part of the state, that a bear could knock down one of them skinny little black spruce without even trying. But he wouldn’t give an inch. He had an answer for everything I threw at him.

Gallien offered to drive Alex all the way to Anchorage, buy him some decent gear, and then drive him back to wherever he wanted to go.

No, thanks anyway, Alex replied, I’ll be fine with what I’ve got.

Gallien asked whether he had a hunting license.

Hell, no, Alex scoffed. How I feed myself is none of the government’s business. Fuck their stupid rules.

When Gallien asked whether his parents or a friend knew what he was up to—whether there was anyone who would sound the alarm if he got into trouble and was overdue—Alex answered calmly that no, nobody knew of his plans, that in fact he hadn’t spoken to his family in nearly two years. I’m absolutely positive, he assured Gallien, I won’t run into anything I can’t deal with on my own.

There was just no talking the guy out of it, Gallien remembers. "He was determined. Real gung ho. The word that comes to mind is excited. He couldn’t wait to head out there and get started."

Three hours out of Fairbanks, Gallien turned off the highway and steered his beat-up 4 × 4 down a snow-packed side road. For the first few miles the Stampede Trail was well graded and led past cabins scattered among weedy stands of spruce and aspen. Beyond the last of the log shacks, however, the road rapidly deteriorated. Washed out and overgrown with alders, it turned into a rough, unmaintained track.

In summer the road here would have been sketchy but passable; now it was made unnavigable by a foot and a half of mushy spring snow. Ten miles from the highway, worried that he’d get stuck if he drove farther, Gallien stopped his rig on the crest of a low rise. The icy summits of the highest mountain range in North America gleamed on the southwestern horizon.

Alex insisted on giving Gallien his watch, his comb, and what he said was all his money: eighty-five cents in loose change. I don’t want your money, Gallien protested, and I already have a watch.

If you don’t take it, I’m going to throw it away, Alex cheerfully retorted. I don’t want to know what time it is. I don’t want to know what day it is or where I am. None of that matters.

Before Alex left the pickup, Gallien reached behind the seat, pulled out an old pair of rubber work boots, and persuaded the boy to take them. They were too big for him, Gallien recalls. But I said, ‘Wear two pair of socks, and your feet ought to stay halfway warm and dry.’

How much do I owe you?

Don’t worry about it, Gallien answered. Then he gave the kid a slip of paper with his phone number on it, which Alex carefully tucked into a nylon wallet.

If you make it out alive, give me a call, and I’ll tell you how to get the boots back to me.

Gallien’s wife had packed him two grilled-cheese-and-tuna sandwiches and a bag of corn chips for lunch; he persuaded the young hitchhiker to accept the food as well. Alex pulled a camera from his backpack and asked Gallien to snap a picture of him shouldering his rifle at the trailhead. Then, smiling broadly, he disappeared down the snow-covered track. The date was Tuesday, April 28, 1992.

Gallien turned the truck around, made his way back to the Parks Highway, and continued toward Anchorage. A few miles down the road he came to the small community of Healy, where the Alaska State Troopers maintain a post. Gallien briefly considered stopping and telling the authorities about Alex, then thought better of it. I figured he’d be OK, he explains. I thought he’d probably get hungry pretty quick and just walk out to the highway. That’s what any normal person would do.

Chapter Two

THE STAMPEDE TRAIL

Jack London is King

Alexander Supertramp

May 1992

GRAFFITO CARVED INTO A PIECE OF WOOD DISCOVERED AT THE SITE OF CHRIS MCCANDLESS’S DEATH

Dark spruce forest frowned on either side the frozen waterway. The trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean toward each other, black and ominous, in the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness—a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the Sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. It was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. It was the Wild, the savage, frozen-hearted Northland Wild.

JACK LONDON,

WHITE FANG

On the northern margin of the Alaska Range, just before the hulking ramparts of Mt. McKinley and its satellites surrender to the low Kantishna plain, a series of lesser ridges, known as the Outer Range, sprawls across the flats like a rumpled blanket on an unmade bed. Between the flinty crests of the two outermost escarpments of the Outer Range runs an east-west trough, maybe five miles across, carpeted in a boggy amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. Meandering through the tangled, rolling bottomland is the Stampede Trail, the route Chris McCandless followed into the wilderness.

The trail was blazed in the 1930s by a legendary Alaska miner named Earl Pilgrim; it led to antimony claims he’d staked on Stampede Creek, above the Clearwater Fork of the Toklat River. In 1961, a Fairbanks company, Yutan Construction, won a contract from the new state of Alaska (statehood having been granted just two years earlier) to upgrade the trail, building it into a road on which trucks could haul ore from the mine year-round. To house construction workers while the road was going in, Yutan purchased three junked buses, outfitted each with bunks and a simple barrel stove, and skidded them into the wilderness behind a D-9 Caterpillar.

The project was halted in 1963: some fifty miles of road were eventually built, but no bridges were ever erected over the many rivers it transected, and the route was shortly rendered impassable by thawing permafrost and seasonal floods. Yutan hauled two of the buses back to the highway. The third bus was left about halfway out the trail to serve as backcountry shelter for hunters and trappers. In the three decades since construction ended, much of the roadbed has been obliterated by washouts, brush, and beaver ponds, but the bus is still there.

A vintage International Harvester from the 1940s, the derelict vehicle is located twenty-five miles west of Healy as the raven flies, rusting incongruously in the fireweed beside the Stampede Trail, just beyond the boundary of Denali National Park. The engine is gone. Several windows are cracked or missing altogether, and broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. The green-and-white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering indicates that the old machine was once part of the Fairbanks City Transit System: bus 142. These days it isn’t unusual for six or seven months to pass without the bus seeing a human visitor, but in early September 1992, six people in three separate parties happened to visit the remote vehicle on the same afternoon.

In 1980, Denali National Park was expanded to include the Kantishna Hills and the northernmost cordillera of the Outer Range, but a parcel of low terrain within the new park acreage was omitted: a long arm of land known as the Wolf Townships, which encompasses the first half of the Stampede Trail. Because this seven-by-twenty-mile tract is surrounded on three sides by the protected acreage of the national park, it harbors more than its share of wolf, bear, caribou, moose, and other game, a local secret that’s jealously guarded by those hunters and trappers who are aware of the anomaly. As soon as moose season opens in the fall, a handful of hunters typically pays a visit to the old bus, which sits beside the Sushana River at the westernmost end of the nonpark tract, within two miles of the park boundary.

Ken Thompson, the owner of an Anchorage auto-body shop, Gordon Samel, his employee, and their friend Ferdie Swanson, a construction worker, set out for the bus on September 6, 1992, stalking moose. It isn’t an easy place to reach. About ten miles past the end of the improved road the Stampede Trail crosses the Teklanika River, a fast, icy stream whose waters are opaque with glacial till. The trail comes down to the riverbank just upstream from a narrow gorge, through which the Teklanika surges in a boil of white water. The prospect of fording this latte-colored torrent discourages most people from traveling any farther.

Thompson, Samel, and Swanson, however, are contumacious Alaskans with a special fondness for driving motor vehicles where motor vehicles aren’t really designed to be driven. Upon arriving at the Teklanika, they scouted the banks until they located a wide, braided section with relatively shallow channels, and then they steered headlong into the flood.

I went first, Thompson says. The river was probably seventy-five feet across and real swift. My rig is a jacked-up eighty-two Dodge four by four with thirty-eight-inch rubber on it, and the water was right up to the hood. At one point I didn’t think I’d get across. Gordon has a eight-thousand-pound winch on the front of his rig; I had him follow right behind so he could pull me out if I went out of sight.

Thompson made it to the far bank without incident, followed by Samel and Swanson in their trucks. In the beds of two of the pickups were light-weight all-terrain vehicles: a three-wheeler and a four-wheeler. They parked the big rigs on a gravel bar, unloaded the ATVs, and continued toward the bus in the smaller, more maneuverable machines.

A few hundred yards beyond the river the trail disappeared into a series of chest-deep beaver ponds. Undeterred, the three Alaskans dynamited the offending stick dams and drained the ponds. Then they motored onward, up a rocky creek bed and through dense alder thickets. It was late afternoon by the time they finally arrived at the bus. When they got there, according to Thompson, they found a guy and a girl from Anchorage standing fifty feet away, looking kinda spooked.

Neither of them had been in the bus, but they’d been close enough to notice a real bad smell from inside. A makeshift signal flag—a red knitted leg warmer of the sort worn by dancers—was knotted to the end of an alder branch by the vehicle’s rear exit. The door was ajar, and taped to it was a disquieting note. Handwritten in neat block letters on a page torn from a novel by Nikolay Gogol, it read:

S.O.S. I NEED YOUR HELP. I AM INJURED, NEAR DEATH, AND TOO WEAK TO HIKE OUT OF HERE I AM ALL ALONE, THIS IS NO JOKE. IN THE NAME OF GOD, PLEASE REMAIN TO SAVE ME. I AM OUT COLLECTING BERRIES CLOSE BY AND SHALL RETURN THIS EVENING. THANK YOU, CHRIS MCCANDLESS. AUGUST?

The Anchorage couple had been too upset by the implication of the note and the overpowering odor of decay to examine the bus’s interior, so Samel steeled himself to take a look. A peek through a window revealed a Remington rifle, a plastic box of shells, eight or nine paperback books, some torn jeans, cooking utensils, and an expensive backpack. In the very rear of the vehicle, on a jerry-built bunk, was a blue sleeping bag that appeared to have something or someone inside it, although, says Samel, "it was hard to be absolutely sure.

I stood on a stump, Samel continues, reached through a back window, and gave the bag a shake. There was definitely something in it, but whatever it was didn’t weigh much. It wasn’t until I walked around to the other side and saw a head sticking out that I knew for certain what it was. Chris McCandless had been dead for two and a half weeks.

Samel, a man of strong opinions, decided the body should be evacuated right away. There wasn’t room on his or Thompson’s small machine to haul the dead person out, however, nor was there space on the Anchorage couple’s ATV. A short while later a sixth person appeared on the scene, a hunter from Healy named Butch Killian. Because Killian was driving an Argo—a large amphibious eight-wheeled ATV—Samel suggested that Killian evacuate the remains, but Killian declined, insisting it was a task more properly left to the Alaska State Troopers.

Killian, a coal miner who moonlights as an emergency medical technician for the Healy Volunteer Fire Department, had a two-way radio on the Argo. When he couldn’t raise anybody from where he was, he started driving back toward the highway; five miles down the trail, just before dark, he managed to make contact with the radio operator at the Healy power plant. Dispatch, he reported, this is Butch. You better call the troopers. There’s a man back in the bus by the Sushana. Looks like he’s been dead for a while.

At eight-thirty the next morning, a police helicopter touched down noisily beside the bus in a blizzard of dust and swirling aspen leaves. The troopers made a cursory examination of the vehicle and its environs for signs of foul play and then departed. When they flew away, they took McCandless’s remains, a camera with five rolls of exposed film, the SOS note, and a diary—written across the last two pages of a field guide to edible plants—that recorded the young man’s final weeks in 113 terse, enigmatic entries.

The body was taken to Anchorage, where an autopsy was performed at the Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory. The remains were so badly decomposed that it was impossible to determine exactly when McCandless had died, but the coroner could find no sign of massive internal injuries or broken bones. Virtually no subcutaneous fat remained on the body, and the muscles had withered significantly in the days or weeks prior to death. At the time of the autopsy, McCandless’s remains weighed sixty-seven pounds. Starvation was posited as the most probable cause of death.

McCandless’s signature had been penned at the bottom of the SOS note, and the photos, when developed, included many self-portraits. But because he had been carrying no identification, the authorities didn’t know who he was, where he was from, or why he was there.

Chapter Three

CARTHAGE

I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger and the chance to sacrifice myself for my love. I felt in myself a superabundance of energy which found no outlet in our quiet life.

LEO TOLSTOY,

FAMILY HAPPINESS

PASSAGE HIGHLIGHTED IN ONE OF THE BOOKS FOUND WITH CHRIS MCCANDLESS’S REMAINS

It should not be denied…that being footloose has always exhilarated us. It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations, with absolute freedom, and the road has always led west.

WALLACE STEGNER,

THE AMERICAN WEST AS LIVING SPACE

Carthage, South Dakota, population 274, is a sleepy little cluster of clapboard houses, tidy yards, and weathered brick storefronts rising humbly from the immensity of the northern plains, set adrift in time. Stately rows of cottonwoods shade a grid of streets seldom disturbed by moving vehicles. There’s one grocery in town, one bank, a single gas station, a lone bar—the Cabaret, where Wayne Westerberg is sipping a cocktail and chewing on a sweet cigar, remembering the odd young man he knew as Alex.

The Cabaret’s plywood-paneled walls are hung with deer antlers, Old Milwaukee beer promos, and mawkish paintings of game birds taking

Reviews for Into the Wild

[mattrwalker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have to say that this book definitely ranks among my top favorites. Although Krakauer is an excellent author, and the book is well written, I do blame some of my love for the book on the time in my life when I read it. Fresh out of high school, I was searching for my "calling" and read "Into the Wild" during that time. The book spoke to the inner "adventurer" in me, and actually helped me to start living my live less "by the book."

I recommend this book for anyone that is searching for who they are, or confused about what they want to do.

[aidan767 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Read this book with my ninth-grade literature class. My students were initially intrigued, often times baffled by the character of Chris McCandless and his story. Jon Krakauer goes into painstaking detail, and the book catalogs the effort to find that painstaking detail. But this is largely where to book goes wrong. It doesn't feel cohesive and it often lost us as readers. McCandless' story can be inspiring but bogged down by pages of minuscule detail, loose conjecture, and stories of different adventurers that don't relate to McCandless' own, the power of witnessing McCandless' short but passionate life is all but snuffed out. You can tell that the book is not Krakauer's preferred form. As one of my students said, "this is why no one reads magazines anymore."

[wvlibrarydude · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I saw the movie 4 months ago but the book had been on my to read list for some time. I needed a quick travel book for my book club, and this fit the bill.

Krakauer does a good job with interplay of other adventure stories of individuals like Chris along with a story of his own adventures in Alaska. I think overall this was a good trick to spread the article out with context that made Chris into a more rounded individual. The problem is even with the photographs, journal entries, and stories from those who came in contact with Chris he remains an enigma. The very thing that drove a wedge into his family life with his father (bottling things up inside and not wanting to talk about them) creates a dilemma in trying to find out more about his two years tramping before his death.

I think Krakauer also did a good job of exploring the aspects of Chris' personality that both upset and garnered admiration from others. I have a little of both in my mind. He was headstrong and arrogant (folks he died at 24), but he was learning more about himself and his place in the world. It wasn't until the age of 25 that I really got my act together as an adult, so I have a hard time judging Chris' life.

A good read. I mostly read, but listened to the audiobook at times which was read well.

[Anto45325 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The plot of the book is very good, the part I liked was when he met the old man, it's a very good book. (Translated from Spanish)

[BenjamnOrellana · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book tells the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who leaves his conventional and promising life to embark on a journey into the wilderness of Alaska. During his journey, McCandless adopts the pseudonym Alexander Supertramp and meets several people who influence his worldview and strengthen his desire for a deeper connection with nature. (Translated from Spanish)

[usuarioferz23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story is about how Chris takes a journey without any tools.

It all begins because Chris wanted to be free from all the toxicity of society, so he embarks on a trip to Alaska. On the way to his destination, he encounters various people who help him.

But he had a very unfortunate fate. I found this book good, recommended for people who appreciate freedom, nature, life, etc. (Translated from Spanish)

[vikimjk16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Review
This book is about Christopher or "Alex," who was a young man from a wealthy family, but his relationship with his father was not very good, and because of this, Alex made the decision to embark on his journey to prove to his father that he could be free and independent.
In my opinion, I liked the book because the young man, despite having money, decided to undergo the wild journey of Alaska regardless of the consequences. (Translated from Spanish)

[vale33331111 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a narrative, or rather a report, that recounts various events surrounding the death of Chris Johnson McCandless. He dreamed of a wild life and, after graduating from Emory University in Atlanta in the summer of 1990, he set off for Alaska, changed his name (to Alexander Supertramp), donated $24,000 he had in his checking account to a humanitarian organization, and abandoned his car. Along the way, while hitchhiking, he encountered several people, including Wayne Westerberg, a farmer who became a friend of Chris McCandless.

I really liked this report because it talks about a young, adventurous, and determined man who suffered greatly upon his arrival in Alaska and fulfilled his dreams, despite ending up dying of starvation in the magic bus, where moose hunters found him in a state of decomposition. (Translated from Spanish)

[FlorenciaEspinosa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jon Krakauer, a journalist, mountaineer, and author of major works, including "Into the Wild," tells the story of a young man named Christopher McCandless. After graduating from college, he got rid of his possessions, including his car, which he left abandoned, donated his money to charity, and set off for Alaska, exploring the wild life. He faced various challenges throughout the journey, and we learned more about Chris's personality, also known as "Alex," who met many people—some with whom he spent time and others with whom he only had brief encounters.

This real-life story, narrated by Krakauer, was very reflective and made me think about how the environment in which we grow up can affect our future, our decisions, and our mindset. Chris's relationship with his family was complicated; they had different and strong opinions, which led to certain clashes. As we saw in the movie, Chris and his sister were witnesses to the mistreatment their parents had towards each other.

Chris went in search of adventures, new experiences, and his freedom. Ultimately, Christopher McCandless died on August 18, 1992, due to starvation. I liked this book; it made me reflect on various things and made me feel many emotions. Chris's death felt inevitable, but that doesn’t lessen the tragedy, and it is even more so knowing that this book is based on a true story and that he died very young. Krakauer added many details to the book, making it very interesting to read. (Translated from Spanish)

[Joaquinfigueroa424 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book teaches us about the report and journey towards the death of a boy named Chris McCandless, who wanted a life outside of society and sought freedom, leading him to nature and traveling to his grave.

The truth is I liked this book; it is my type of story, with a plot and events that I would find interesting, and indeed, this book has that.

My favorite part was the last part, when the parents went to see the grave where Chris died, in the "magic bus" and in the boots he wore that a hunter gifted him, still retaining his scent. In the end, the parents and the author got into the helicopter and left the place, watching as the light of the bus slowly disappeared.

The truth is that I didn't have a favorite character; I found all of them to be good characters who helped the author achieve creating this book.

In summary, this book is more of a report than a novel, and if you like reports and adventure books, let me tell you that this is your book. Thank you for reading, goodbye. (Translated from Spanish)

[Antonelaaav · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel seems more like a report on the life of Chris McCandless, a 24-year-old young man who was not interested in his family's money or luxuries.

When he graduated from college, he decided to take a trip to Alaska with no resources and without telling anyone in his family. He went through many places, met many people, and faced many difficulties. He began his journey on April 15, 1992, and arrived in the middle of that year, surviving by hunting moose and foraging for edible plants. In early September of the same year, a hunter found him dead in the sleeping bag of his bus, having died approximately two weeks prior. (It is said that he died of starvation or poisoning).

Opinion: I really liked this book as it is interesting to see how a man ventures into unknown places with no one around and without food. The way he survived intrigued me a lot, and I highly recommend it. (Translated from Spanish)

[sofia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book tells the story of a nomad named Christopher McCandless who traveled through various places from Washington D.C. to the forests of Alaska. It captivates you with his unusual story, giving us another perspective on the world and what we are compelled to do, showing that you can live life to the fullest without so much money. But it also confuses you with the chronology of events. It is a true story, narrated by another person named Jon Krakauer with the help of his diary, as Christopher, or Alex (the name he gave himself), would die from a small mistake after spending six weeks in the wilderness. I recommend it if you want to know about his journey and how he managed to reach his destination, as well as why he did it. (Translated from Spanish)

[Geraldinesaez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book is about Christopher McCandless who graduated from university and traveled to Alaska on foot.

I think it was very interesting because as the story progressed, he met more people who helped him reach his destination. My favorite character is Franz because he seemed very sweet for wanting to help Chris and wanting to adopt him.

I recommend this book because it is very interesting as it is like a documentary of Christopher McCandless's life. (Translated from Spanish)

[Yaxminanto · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book is about a young man who embarked on a journey to Alaska, leaving everything behind, his family and money, to start a nomadic life.

My opinion on "Into the Wild" is that it was very interesting the fact that a privileged young man decided to disappear from his family's life after graduating. My favorite character is Chris, as I find his decision very impressive; he was a very pleasant and intelligent boy who could survive and adapt to any environment, place, and job.

I liked the book quite a bit, but for me it was somewhat confusing and I couldn't understand if he died from poisoning or hunger. However, despite that, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it. (Translated from Spanish)

[7spuky7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's a quite interesting book as it tells of the quest for freedom and the emotional growth of the character, how despite the complications and difficulties he managed to reach his goal, although the journey is quite intense and he has to leave many friendships behind just to go to Alaska. Also, at one point, one of the narrators questions how much the boy's parents impacted him to cause such pain.

I loved it although I have to admit that it's not to my taste since I personally think that in certain parts it can be confusing and tends to disconnect me from the story, but aside from that, it's a highly recommended book.

I believe that people can change their thinking with this. I really like how it shows that the problems their parents had also affect them personally since it’s a quite common issue in dysfunctional families and can cause notable trauma over time in psychological and social development. I like how it is represented; it is truly a highly recommended book. (Translated from Spanish)

[Hola · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Into the Wild" is a work by journalist and writer Jon Krakauer, published in 1996. The book tells the true story of Christopher McCandless, a 24-year-old idealist who abandons his comfortable life and embarks on a journey across the United States, ending up in the wilds of Alaska.

Plot and structure:
The narrative is based on McCandless’ diary entries, interviews with people who knew him during his journey, and Krakauer's meticulous research. The story follows McCandless from his college graduation in 1990 until his death in 1992. After donating his savings to charity, Christopher adopts the alias of "Alexander Supertramp" and embarks on an odyssey that takes him through the western United States and ultimately to the remote lands of Alaska.

Main themes:
1. Search for freedom and authenticity: McCandless is portrayed as a young man seeking an authentic life, far removed from the materialism and superficiality of modern society. His journey is an attempt to reconnect with nature and live self-sufficiently.
2. Internal and familial conflict: The tense relationship with his parents and the rejection of societal expectations are key drivers of his decisions. Krakauer explores how familial experiences shaped McCandless’ psychology.
3. Nature and survival: The book offers a deep reflection on the beauty and danger of nature. McCandless' story highlights both the majesty of the natural environment and its deadly challenges.

In summary, "Into the Wild" is a powerful and moving work that explores the limits of human adventure and the eternal quest for freedom. The story of Christopher McCandless, although tragic, offers a profound reflection on the relationship between man and nature, and the cost of pursuing our ideals at any cost. (Translated from Spanish)

[RocoConstanzaSeplvedaGuerrero · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a young man who hates consumerism and decides to distance himself from everything and live a nomadic life, despite being a talented and studious young man who excelled in all his university subjects. Throughout his journey, he met several people who helped him. Christofer died 16 weeks after arriving in Alaska, and the one who mourned his death the most was Ron, an old man who was with him before he left, who even wanted to adopt him, if only as his grandson. For me, it was a very tragic and emotional story; in my opinion, if he had prepared a little more, perhaps, just perhaps, he would have survived. I highly recommend this book as well as the movie. (Translated from Spanish)

[sofiaAravenaSantos · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It tells the story of a young man who decides to leave everything behind to live a nomadic life as he was opposed to society and consumerism, leaving behind his sister and parents with whom he hadn't had a very good relationship. Despite surviving for 16 weeks, he ultimately passed away, and he was found dead in a trailer in Alaska. It is undoubtedly a heartbreaking story, but I completely recommend this book. (Translated from Spanish)

[objectid-66567544e11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer tells the true story of Christopher McCandless, who abandons his conventional life to live in the wilderness of Alaska. Seeking freedom and self-expression, he adopts the name Alexander Supertramp, but tragically dies of starvation. The book explores his motivations and questions the price of absolute freedom.

"Into the Wild" is a fascinating work that delves into Christopher McCandless's quest for freedom and meaning in the Alaskan wilderness. While his story is inspiring, it also highlights the recklessness of his decisions and the tragic consequences of a poorly planned adventure.

This novel, I would say, is a story of life. I recommend this book to people who enjoy adventures and stories outdoors in nature.

9/10. (Translated from Spanish)

[7219 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book by Jon Krakauer
Into the Wild

In this novel, he tells the story of Christopher Johnson McCandless, a passionate and adventurous young man. After graduating from college, he cut all ties with his family because he disliked their materialism, much less the consumerism it entailed, as his family belonged to a wealthy social class. He decided to venture into nature, meeting people who either taught him, helped him, or simply evoked the opposite feeling.

In my opinion, I liked it because it was making a report on his life, the adventures he experienced, the people and places Christopher Johnson McCandless visited. I found it impressive that he fed on berries, plants, and things like that from nature, and that he himself killed and hunted animals to then eat them. I felt a lot of pity that he died from something he consumed; if it weren't for that, he would still be alive, exploring more places, meeting more people. But at least he died "at peace," having done everything he wanted to do.

In conclusion, I can deduce that Christopher Johnson McCandless was free once he began living in the wild, exploring areas filled with nature, and that he got to know the world in a completely different way and from a perspective he was not accustomed to. He lived many new experiences. (Translated from Spanish)

[Maximilianoalegre · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Into the Wild

The story of a young man named Chris McCandless, who, after graduating, completely distances himself from his family and ends up getting lost in a place without people.

I found this book really interesting, mainly because of the way it begins, as it starts like a type of report. The story astonished me quite a bit due to Chris's attitudes, as not everyone is capable of leaving a life full of comforts and luxuries to live a life filled with challenges, fear, and complexities like hunger or protection from wild animals. I particularly enjoyed the book because Alex was very adventurous and brave, though I felt a lot of sadness that Alex died alone on the bus with no one around.

In conclusion, it is a very good book, with a very interesting story and a very sad ending. The book itself is based on romanticism, as Alex's life ultimately went from bad to worse, ending with his life. (Translated from Spanish)

[Pazmolina06 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book is about Christopher McCandless, a young man who decides to leave his privileged life and embark on a journey to Alaska.

I really enjoyed the book, although I felt saddened by Chris's death, or when Franz asked him if he could adopt him, and he said they could talk about it when he returned from Alaska, but, unfortunately, that never happened.

Without a doubt, this book prompts reflection on life and the decisions we make. (Translated from Spanish)

[Chalosnchez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Into the Wild

Into the Wild is a book that tells the story of Chris McCandless, a young man who wants to leave his comfortable life with his family and embark on a journey to Alaska to live a less hectic and authentic life in the midst of nature.

For me, this book was very entertaining and emotional because of the journeys he took and the people he met along the way, like the couple Jan and Bob, who were like his second parents, or the elderly Ronald, who was like a grandfather to him.

In conclusion, it is a highly recommended book for its very intriguing and captivating story. (Translated from Spanish)

[TomsIgnacio · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Into the Wild" is a novel written by Jon Krakauer that tells the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who abandons his upper-class life to begin anew, venturing into Alaska. The work explores themes such as the search for freedom, survival in nature, and more. Krakauer presents a narrative that invites reflection on society.
My favorite character is Christopher McCandless, for his thoughts on freedom and daring to leave his life of luxury.
I didn't like this book, but I still find it interesting because of the adventures of the main character. (Translated from Spanish)

[Ignacio · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Into the Wild" is about a man named Chris McCandless, an adventurer and nature lover whose dream was to go to Alaska. This book is written by Jon Krakauer, who was commissioned to do a report on Chris's death. I liked it and was impressed because he was able to survive alone and tried to keep himself alive without any help from anyone, and although he had conflicts with his father, he moved forward and was able to explore nature.

My favorite character was Mr. Ronald Franz, a generous and kind man who lost his wife and son in an accident. He considered Chris like a son and helped him by sharing a bit of home and food while Chris planned how to go to Alaska. (Translated from Spanish)

[JavierVelsquezAlrcon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book tells us about a young man who embarks on an adventure to reach Alaska and start his new life away from wealth and luxury in order to feel alive.

The book is quite good; it addresses very delicate topics in a way that moves the reader, such as the reactions and consequences for Chris's family after his death, how Chris goes far away from home to create a new life away from the wealth and luxury his parents provided, and how they recount Chris's entire journey knowing that it ends with his death. The book is moving for many because of how it addresses these topics and the way it tells this story. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see a raw reality of sensitive issues. (Translated from Spanish)

[moonsluvb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked the book and its story; I enjoyed reading about the novel and the details, but I didn't like the ending. It seemed meaningless to me because, to begin having a wild life, he should have prepared himself properly and brought more supplies. However, that doesn't take away from the good parts. (Translated from Spanish)

[jussepe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book "Into the Wild" is written by Jon Krakauer and tells the story of a young man who travels to Alaska, named Christopher McCandless.

From my point of view, the book is complicated to understand due to different factors, such as the variety of names that I find difficult to memorize and the vast information it contains, which can lead to confusion. However, it is interesting because it leaves us reflecting on our lives and helps us think about it, showing that money is not necessary to feel happy or free.

To understand this book better, we should have more experience reading other books; therefore, I recommend it to people who are more experienced readers and to those who can relate to Christopher. (Translated from Spanish)

[valebrito · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about the story of a boy who, tired of following the life his parents have planned for him, decides to go to Alaska with little money and what he had to travel by hitchhiking. "Into the Wild" is undoubtedly a book that changes your way of thinking about nature and staying at home. This book definitely motivates you to go out and admire nature, encourages you not to stay in one place, to discover more locations, and to become more free from all the ties of your home.

I enjoyed most of the book, but the ending was definitely quite sad, thinking about the pain the mother must have felt upon learning of her son's death or the pain Chris felt in his last moments, in addition to the sad way he died.

While the book was quite good, something I didn't like was how the story was narrated; I feel that some parts became confusing, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it was very good that the author took the time to research Chris's story and make it known. (Translated from Spanish)

[Har7k1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Into the Wild is a work by Jon Krakauer in which he narrates the life of Christopher McCandless, an intelligent young man who from the beginning wishes to be independent from his family, thus beginning a months-long journey to Alaska.

In my opinion, I found it to be a quite interesting and impactful book, especially with the second chapter which I did not expect at all. On the other hand, I loved the way it was narrated, although in some parts it was somewhat confusing.

I recommend it to nature lovers or those seeking freedom from this society. (Translated from Spanish)