Don

As you might expect from Jon Krakauer if you have read his works before, the book is both entertaining and thought-provoking. Once you begin the story, you want to continue listening to the end. The book is well-written, and the narrator does an excellent job of relating the saga. There is some harsh language in a few places, but it does not seem excessive.

I have never read a book on this particular subject before -- that is, what drives a person like McCandless to seek an isolated wilderness experience that is "back to the basics". At times I have also followed the urge to experience the wilderness solo, and I have had a few such minor experiences. However, the book helped me to understand the difference between "the extreme" McCandless and myself. The book identifies McCandless' primary motivators as "youthful enthusiasm" and an "enthrallment with a fantasy image of nature". I would even call it a form of "nature worship". Others (as myself) appreciate nature and love to experience its pleasures and hardships, but our experiences are tempered by reality and wisdom... not immersion in a fantasy.

Anyway, an excellent read. Recommended.