Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Described by friends and relatives as smart, literate, compassionate and funny, did McCandless simply read too much Thoreau and Jack London and lose sight of the dangers of heading into the wilderness alone? Krakauer, whose own adventures have taken him to the perilous heights of Everest, provides some answers by exploring the pull the outdoors, seductive yet often dangerous, has had on his own life. --Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

Heart breaking

Customer Rating:

I watched the movie before I read the book, and while the movie brought tears to my eyes, the book broke my heart (SOBBING). I NEVER read a book after I have watched its movie but Jon Karkuer did an amazing job. Even though I knew how it would end I still found myself wanting, hoping, praying Christopher McCandless would make it out alive. I am a first time reader of Jon Karkuers' work and I am really impressed.

Beautiful Blueberries!

Customer Rating:

I got into Jon Krakauer through Joe Simpson books and have found him to be an excellent writer. With little material to go on he manages to paint a vivid picture of Chris McCandless and his adventures across the USA. Towards the end of the book, Jon relies mostly on guesswork as to what happened with Chris, and I thought it extremely well done. The only point which jarred slightly for me was Jon describing his troubles with his father, which didn't seem entirely relevant to the rest of the plot. However, one sentence from the book (written by Chris in his copy of Dr Zhivago) will always remain with me: "Happiness is only real when shared with others". Read it and enjoy.

the film might be more easy to understand !!!!	Customer Rating:
takes a very long time for the story to get going and you could very easy put this book down and move on.

Unforgettable Adventure

Customer Rating:

Think adventure, dream of being free, living each day as it comes, never really knowing what joys or hardships tomorrow may bring. This is the story of Chris McCandless, who in 1992 abondoned everything in search of adventure and survival in the Alaskan wilderness. Notes, lettersw and diaries discovered after he was found dead in an old bus detailed his day to day adventure after leaving his home state of Atlanta. This true story ends in tragedy, but the very way Chris lives freely during that time has a rather uplifting affect. Whether you read the book or see the film, I highly recommend this one. How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1 Darren G. Burton

Gives Depth to the Film

Customer Rating:

I was inspired to buy this book after seeing Sean Penn's amazing film. At the beginning I thought it was just going to underline how faithful Penn's film is to the book, but Krakauer does give a lot more background to the McCandless saga, which is really fascinating. I really enjoyed the quotations at the beginning of each chapter, some of which have introduced me to new authors like Anthony Storr. Krakauer also weaves in accounts of other idealistic young adventurers, which gives a useful perspective. He has also his own dramatic story to tell, which he does in a very understated way. The subject matter is extremely absorbing and Krakauer writes beautifully and tells the story at beguiling pace. He quotes the story of Everett Ruess by means of comparison, and he quotes how Everett Ruess's father mused after his son disappeared in the desert, "The older person does not realize the soul-flights of the adolescent. I think we all poorly understood Everett." The amazing bravery and foolishness of McCandless that reminds us of our own adolescent soul-flights, and how, beneath our exteriors, we have so much yearning and anguish.