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 - Wonderful inspite of it's tragic endingThis is not normally the type of book I read,but I am so glad I did.It's moving, and amazing. The story being recounted is quite interesting. (Later I saw the movie which seems very true to the novel, but is far more boring and slow moving than the novel- although the casting seems perfect.) Kraukauer is a beautiful story teller and lets you see the full character (smart but stupid, selfish but loving) boy who only wants to "walk into the wild" You can tell he loves him, but also wants to tell the truth. He is sensitive to those left behind and wants to depict Supertramp's final adventure as he might want it told himself. The book is interesting, and will make you sad, angry, and annoyed. It will remind you of the differences in humans, and how some people can be lost even unto themselves. The book pieces together fragments of the final months, year of Supertramps life to build a story of who this person was up to the tragic end. Rating:  - Poorly Equipped DreamerIt's ok to be a dreamer. It's ok to want to 'find yourself.' It's really ok to hike and backpack. I've done it myself, but I would never, never enter a wilderness area without, at least, a topographical map. Chris McCandless' story is nothing short of tragic. Jon Krakauer does a fine job of getting you into the mind of this doomed traveler while also taking you into the adventure and beauty of the wilderness. Rating: - Beauty, goodness and hope. . .I'm saddened to see so many people writing with little or no compassion for Chris McCandless, and such a limited effort to understand his quest. Most of us know what he was running from -- problems at home, a society struggling with issues of materialism and morality. But an understanding of what he was searching for -- inner peace, closeness with nature, a quiet and beautiful place in which to think -- eludes many of us, just as it eluded him. It could be lovely, could it not? Wild strawberries spilling down the riverbank, red poppies flaming the hills, cobalt mountains loping along the sky, like waves in a gently rolling sea. I am blessed to live in such a place, where I can reflect and write in perfect solitude, and I appreciate the beautiful life I have. I live a little like he did, but without his extraordinary deprivation -- the berries, the bag of rice, no way (as he perceived it at that time) to get out. Jon Krakauer mined this tragedy for the beauty, the goodness, and the hope that could be found in it -- and this bounty was rich! -- and I applaud his book and his wonderful writing, as I applaud the deeply moving film Sean Penn waited so patiently, for ten years, to create. I agree with some of the points other reviewers have made -- that the particular venture Chris McCandless chose was ill-advised, that he had not adequately prepared for it, and that his family need not have been abandoned and left in the dark. But we have all screwed up in our lives and hurt people around us, at least once, have we not? Well, I certainly have. When other people use poor judgment and make mistakes, it's so easy to judge, to criticize, to close our minds. That's the easy way out, isn't it? Whether we see Chris McCandless as a crazy kid, or as a courageous and intensely spiritual young man, we do know that he died afraid and alone. For that reason, if for no other, I think we need to reach for all the understanding and compassion we can give. Arlene Sanders Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia www.ArleneSanders.com Rating:  - Crappy book about a wonderful humanJon Krakauer, typewriter jockey, decided that in order to justify his wasted life to himself, that he would smear the image of such a beautiful human as the subject of this book, by writing a mocking, superficial account of something that he could never understand. Instead of praising the kid's sense of adventure and compassion, he takes jabs at the kid for how "immature" and "thoughtless" he is ... well even though Krakauer's fat-a** is still sitting in cafes drinking lattes bought with the money earned from his books and films, the kid still OUTLIVED him. I doubt he's ever lived for a minute of his dull office-bound existence. Save your money and read a real book about the wilderness ... maybe something by John Muir or Edward Abbey. Rating: - DullWhy would I read a book that basically tells me the plot and resolution of the book on the cover? Way to keep readers engaged with the summary of the novel on the cover. I knew what happened without even opening the book, and when I was forced to read it, I found it quite dull and pointless.
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