Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
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Book Reviews of Into the Wild
Book Review: Chase von, guess they have this book two places on here....
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an amazing story that touches on every emotion contained within us all! I'm hard pressed to understand why this is only the second review but this is a story that will go down as one of the most powerful, enlightening, and heart wrenching ever told! Sean Penn has from what I have seen secured his place not only as one of the greatest actors to ever live, but also one of the greatest directors to ever live!
I intend to own both the movie and the book and add them to my collection of books you just don't read once and movies you can always go back to when it becomes a necessary to be reminded of what truly matters.
Lastly, I've seen the interviews and I take my hat off to the family for being so brave as to allow what I feel having learned of it, a must story to be allowed to be told...
Not only do I believe Chris is looking down from Heaven with only pure love for his family...
Part of me feels he is looking down on us all with love as well...
With the ultimate respects to the Family, The Author, and Sean Penn and Eddie Vedder for from what I've seen, being able to bring this to life in such a way that it is completely fulfilling the ultimate beauty this story contains...
Chase Von
Also would like to share this with all involved...
~Vibrations~
The sweetest of words
Need not be uttered
To be heard
Unspoken Whispers
Are carried to
Their intended source
By Messengers
From Heaven
That is why
Loud Statements
Often are not heard
Or are vaguely
Understood
And why
Silent Truths
Delivered by the Angels
Vibrate
The Very Soul
By Chase Von
tlp
The Last Panther
All rights reserved
I share that because
I think this story will be vibrating mine
Until I too leave as well as so many others
With respect and love and light again
Chase Von
(As a poet I see so much of my own story reflected in this as well)
Your Chance to Hear The Last Panther Speak
Book Review: Beauty, goodness and hope. . .
Summary: 5 Stars
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
Book Review: A Celebration of Courage
Summary: 5 Stars
WC Fields was 18 when, according to legend, he concealed himself in the rafters of the family barn to have it out with his father. Fields beaned the old man with a fruit crate and took off, never to return. Evidently the discussion did not go as hoped.
Eugene O'Neill spent several of his early years roaming the seas on tramp steamers. When he was 13 or so Jack London started life on his own as an oyster pirate. Upon graduating college, Chris McCandless embarked on his own hero's journey.
I wish I had known McCandless or someone like him. How inspiring it must be to be swept into the vortex of a fervent idealist. I wouldn't know because I have never known such a person unless it was myself for a fleeting instant before I caved to convention. This is why McCandless's story resonates so strongly. The courage of his convictions was both his glory and his undoing.
Establishing one's own distinct identity, apart from family, friends, and familiar surroundings is a coming-of-age ritual we are all too familair with. Take the story of Dead Poets Society. One protagonist winds up commiting suicide rather than stand up to his father, who demands conformity. This is how serious it gets for young idealists.
At least the character in Dead Poets Society didn't go off to Alaska and starve to death in the woods! For me, the story of Chris McCandless is worth a million Hollywood coming-of-age stories. The credit goes to Krakauer. This is the only work of his that I have read but I believe him to be a master. I came across the book at my local Barnes & Noble. I settled down to read a few pages. After what seemed like a short time, I was half-way through. It is absolutely riveting. I could have just finished the book on the spot but I'm still enough of an idealist that I paid for the book.
This is a story that is highly relevant for the times. We are witnessing a generation (or a fragment thereof) that puts themselves on the line for their beliefs in Iraq. Those kids may have entirely different motives and beliefs than Chris McCandless but we need to celebrate their courage.
Book Review: Into the Wild
Summary: 5 Stars
From start to finish, I read this book knowing the terrible fate of Chris McCandless. The story begins with the discovery of his dead body in an abandoned bus. From the time this young man made set off to the wilderness of Alaska, he became Alexander Supertramp. He had given away everything, the only thing that he held on to from his former life was his name, and by changing that he was now free.
"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." -- Chris McCandless. This bit of writing from the young man who escaped society really embodies his view on life.
Chris had changed his name, burnt all the cash in his wallet, and left all of his possessions behind. Just like a snake, he had shed his skin. All that Chris had on him when ventured up to into the wilderness of Alaska was a .22 caliber rifle, a ten pound bag of rice, a field guide of edible plants and berries, cheap hiking boots, and the clothes on his back. The life he saw ahead of him was going to be untouched by the society that had poisoned his previous one.
To many, Chris could be described as naïve, and his story, depressing. But the way that Krakauer tells the story gives McCandless a near mythical status. He is the man who took his live by the handlebars and did something so bold, that his story could almost come off as fiction. Krakauer does a fantastic job presenting his research and his own opinions and commentary in this book. The feelings that you develop for Chris are extraordinary, and I think that is what makes this book one of my favorites of all time.
Book Review: Ahhh, the invincibilty of youth! Boy, do I miss it.
Summary: 5 Stars
I read the description of this book and thought "ok, some guy goes camping and dies in the woods, big deal. maybe I will read it anyway" I am glad I did.
There seems to be a lot of people that do not like Chris McCandless. There were many comments about how he was not smart enough to be in the woods by himself, how he was not prepared, he didn't take this trip seriously enough, etc. I was one of them. In the first few pages of the book I was saying to myself, "Of course this guy is gonna die, he's a knucklehead" I understood where all the negative comments were coming from. Or so I thought.
As I continued reading I was drawn into the story. I could relate to his adventures and choices. Not that I have ever stepped foot into Alaska, but I have done some pretty stupid things in my life. Well I say they are stupid now, but at the time I was able to feel them and understand those choices in a different way. I was young and could not be beaten or taught. I knew it all.
I think thats why there were so many people that criticized what Chris did. They saw the younger version of themselves and it scared them. Or maybe they see Chris doing something they were afraid to do but always wanted to do. I know thats what happened with me. I also realized that I have four young sons and they are already showing thrill-seeker tendencies. Hopefully I will prepare them well for their adventures in life.
By the end of this book I had really grown to respect Chris McCandless.
He was very intelligent, of the highest ethics and morals, did not believe that big government was a good thing, and he realized that he did not need many of the things that we take for granted. He could leave our world and forge a new place in nature. It was a learning experience for him. He accomplished a lot. Its too bad he didn't learn one of the most important rules until it was too late, an accomplishment means nothing if you can't share it with someone you love.
This is a great book and I highly recommend it.