Into the Wild

By: Jon Krakauer

Narrated by: Philip Franklin

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. His body - along with a camera with five rolls of film, an SOS note, and a cryptic diary written in the back pages of a book about edible plants - was found six months later by a hunter.

©2007 Jon Krakauer (P)2007 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"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

all over the place

started reading for the main story line and enjoyed how thorough the author’s research was, however the personal anecdotes and additional stories of people similar to chris didn’t do it for me. felt scattered and like the author just needed to fill space. wish it was shorter and just focused on chris instead.

Hard to stop listening

What made the experience of listening to Into the Wild the most enjoyable?

It's an interesting and sometimes frustrating story about the choices of a jong man. During listening there were times that I really respected his choices and there were times that I could only think of how selfish he was. This book is written based of some information left by Chris McCandless but also based on stories of people who knew him or who shortly met him. This means that part of this book is based on facts, but also a big part are just speculations. Because of that I don't think you can really judge Chris. Jon Krakauer manages to tell the story well without selling his assumptions as facts. Also the part where Jon tells about his own relationship with his father and his experience with dangerous climbs when he was about Chris' age puts things in perspective.

What other book might you compare Into the Wild to and why?

Into Thin Air. Both books of Jon Krakauer are written in the same style which I really like.

Have you listened to any of Philip Franklin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, and again I really liked his performance.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but unfortunately I didn't have the time for that. Also, once I finished the book I immediately wanted to watch the movie because I just didn't want things to end.

Very interesting

What made the experience of listening to Into the Wild the most enjoyable?

I think everyone has at some point fantasized about leaving the world behind and going on the road. Becoming a drifter, or an explorer of urban america. This is a story about someone who actually did it. This is the perfect form of escapism.

missing half a chapter

I would have rated it higher however there were several places in the book that would go silent. I keep telling myself that were not important pieces of the story. I wish someone at audible would listen and see if it was just download.

Bloviating

Redundant and too much personal opinion regarding Chris's state of mind expressed by the author.

Captivating story

Excellent story that kept me awake on my long drive home. It's a story of a young man's journey to self-discovery and to espouse the ideals that he held dear and preached to others. A bit naive and unprepared, but ultimately determined and courageous.

Great book

Really good read highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the book and the movie.

I felt like I was there during this wild adventure

The epic adventures of Chris's story are amazing in itself yet the way this book was written had me feeling like I was there the whole time I listened to it

excellent

very well written and compelling. enjoyed the back story and the in depth analysis

Read it

I’ve read and reread and listened to this book. There’s so much life to take away from this story about a life interrupted tragically. It’s adventure, philosophy, detective, mystery, and biography all rolled into one insightfully reported telling. Highly recommend.