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TLW Literature 03: Jon Krakauer
My good friend Reine Wang from Paris told me to read this one, and so did Chelsea Feng, Ben Dransfield, Andreas and Dimitri:
| Author: | Jon Krakauer |
| Title: | Into the wild |
| Time: | 1992 |
| Destination: |
Alaska |
| Length: | four months |
| Type: | some hitchhiking, some walking |
| Rating: | 8/10 |
The spirit of youth
JK writes about Christopher McCandless, a young man who ventured out into the wilderness of Alaska in the spring of 1992, stayed there by himself for four months, and eventually died due to malnutrition.
The story is well paced and compact (around 200 pages), and while seeming very thoroughly researched, it presents itself in a rather emotional form of journalism that even borders gonzo at times.
I liked it.
The thing I liked most about it was the strong empathy pulsing from the author towards the young and reckless McCandless. JK clearly avoids idolizing the young man, but when he talks about his own mountaineering experiences in the 70s, I can’t help but find it apologetic for McCandless’ behavior fifteen years later.
There is one paragraph that I highlighted: “It is hardly unusual for a young man to be drawn to a pursuit considered reckless by his elders; engaging in risky behavior is a rite of passage in our culture no less than in most others. Danger has always held a certain allure.”
True that.
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June 15th, 2010 at 17:33
Fantastic read Christoph, glad you got your hands on it.
Read this a number of years ago and later watched the movie which I thought would be terrible (as books made into movies so often can be) but surprisingly the movie captured the spirit of the book quite convincingly..
June 15th, 2010 at 19:46
I’ve read the book after seeing the movie.
As you say, the book is more like a passionate case of journalism, I liked that the autor insist on the fact that Chris was not the first guy who did that and that some even went far beyond.
But the movie is also worse seeing because it goes where the author tried not to go : it fictionalize Chris adventure. And I think it was very well done. You should see it if you have a chance, would be good to ear your opinion.
– Woods
June 16th, 2010 at 02:50
very nice book and movie (with Emil Hirsch)… red it two times :) very sad but also very inspiring!
June 17th, 2010 at 14:14
just watched the movie and I had to read carefully all true story before getting rid of it. Movie says you “you’re not really free if U cannot share experiences with someone else”. It’s not a matter of social rules, it’s a matter of relations: a man without human relations is a lost one. Wherever you go you never have to forget who you are and where you come from, who made you who you are now. I’ll read the book, all of you says is better than the movie.
Just got know you because of a Utube video suggested in twitter: amazing what You did. I’ll look at your website for more details!
Giulia
June 19th, 2010 at 00:06
The story is truly amazing! Alexander Supertramp was the first one to come up to my mind when I stumbled upon your website. =)
Have you seen the movie? Which did you like best?
June 20th, 2010 at 15:15
Anto-San: Oh so the movie is good? Haven’t watched it yet!
Woods: I will, thank you for the recommendation!
giulia: You are right about the importance of human relations. I have yet to read “Walden”, but I am very interested in Thoreau’s take on this problem!
Pasha: I hope I can tell you soon! :)
June 21st, 2010 at 16:13
No longer poisoned
by civilization he flees,
and walks alone upon the land
to become lost in the wild- From Chris McCandless Journal.
Im going to read some Thoreau too soon .
And the movie is good watch it.
June 23rd, 2010 at 22:28
I’m so glad you mentioned Into the Wild. I saw the movie a couple years ago, and when I discovered you today, you immediately reminded me of McCandless.
“Happiness is only real when shared,” wrote McCandless in the last days of his life. I think of how happy you said you were on June 30 of 2008, your 3-0-0-0 mark, when you passed by a cyclist group from Athens to Beijing. I hope that you’ll resume your journey one day, and you’ll find shared happiness on the road.
Good luck :)
June 30th, 2010 at 02:42
Andreas: Thoreau is probably a bit harder to read than this one, eh?
Sarah Li: Thank you for this comment. :)
January 14th, 2012 at 13:46
I’m looking forward to reading this book, I enjoyed the film. There’s much we can learn from McCandless, he had great ambition, but it was indeed stupid to not tell people where he was going and what he was doing, I suppose he did tell us why he was doing it — but it didn’t save his life.
Either way, I discovered Thoreau through McCandless posthumous recommendation. I’ve read Walden, which is an interesting read, some fantastic passages, but can be quite slow at times.
What may be of more interest to you, Christoph, is Thoreau’s essay ‘Walking’, it’s about 50 pages, relatively short, and from what I can remember, a decent read.
January 14th, 2012 at 14:35
Benxander: Hey, thanks dude, I hadn’t ever heard about Thoreau’s “Walking”. Got “Walden” here, but I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. :)