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Synopsis
In April 1992, a young man from a comfortable, middle-class family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mount McKinley. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter. This book searches for the clues to the desires and motivations that propelled this young man into the wild.
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Review
If contradiction lies at the heart of the human condition, then Chris McCandless bore it more profoundly than most. A gifted student, musical and charismatic, in April 1992 he hitchhiked to Alaska, renamed himself "Alexander Supertramp", and walked into the wilderness, intent on exploring the darker side of his soul, to which he had increasingly turned. Four months later his decomposing, emaciated corpse was discovered by a hunter. Jon Krakauer wrote an article about McCandless and his plight for a magazine, and, unable to remove such a haunting story from his mind, Into the Wild is the book he felt compelled to write, drawing on his own experiences in Alaska and his feelings as a young climber with a fierce desire to succeed. Their combined story, superbly recounted, makes stirring reading.
After his death McCandless was dismissed by most Alaskans as foolishly idealistic, another misguided outsider from the "lower 48". This was, in part, true, but he was also an energetic, passionate individualist, inspired by Jack London and Henry David Thoreau, who fiercely guarded his integrity against the forces of government and materialism that sought to constrain his life. What distinguishes him from the other intrepid loners whose stories Krakauer also outlines is the mark he left on the lives of the supporting cast of this book, the ordinary folk of blue-collar America, with whom he hitched or stayed on his journeying, and who even now seem unable to forget the wiry, engaging youth. Ultimately the meaning he found in the northern wilderness was hunger, and that he survived for as long as he did is remarkable in itself, and testament to the strength of purpose that led him there. Into the Wild is a grippingly personal ode to Chris McCandless and a spirit of America that is so often buried, but which now and again defiantly scrabbles free, though rarely to such poignant and tragic effect. --David Vincent
Review
"Terrifying...Eloquent...A heart-rending drama of human yearning."-"New York Times" "A narrative of arresting force. Anyone who ever fancied wandering off to face nature on its own harsh terms should give a look. It's gripping stuff."-"Washington Post" "Compelling and tragic. . .Hard to put down."-"San Francisco Chronicle" "Engrossing. . .with a telling eye for detail, Krakauer has captured the sad saga of a stubborn, idealistic young man"-"Los Angeles Times Book Review" "It may be nonfiction, but "Into the Wild" is a mystery of the highest order."-"Entertainment Weekly"
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- PublisherPan Books
- Publication date1998
- ISBN 10 033038970X
- ISBN 13 9780330389709
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages205
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Into the Wild (A Format)
Seller: medimops, Berlin, Germany
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. Befriedigend/Good: Durchschnittlich erhaltenes Buch bzw. Schutzumschlag mit Gebrauchsspuren, aber vollständigen Seiten. / Describes the average WORN book or dust jacket that has all the pages present. Seller Inventory # M0033038970X-G
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