Non-Fiction Genre -- Into the Wild

Into the Wild

by Jon Krakauer

Genre: Non-Fiction

Publication Date: 1996

Number of Pages: 207 pages

Geographical Setting: Mostly Alaska, though many places in the western U.S. are mentioned

Time Period:  Late 80’s, early 90’s

Series:  N/A

Plot Summary: Jon Krakauer explores the story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who inexplicably departs on a lengthy cross-country journey after graduating from college.  McCandless travels west, exploring the outdoors on his own in many locales before making his way to Alaska in what is assumed to be an attempt to live off the land, much like what was depicted in the books by his favorite authors Jack London and John Muir.  Months later, his body is found in a make-shift shelter often used by hunters with no concrete explanation as to what happened to bring about his death.  Krakauer interviews many of those people who met (and often helped) McCandless during his wandering, searching for what drove the young man to travel, and why he felt such a need to take on the wilderness in such a way.  Bits of McCandless’ story are compared to other instances in history where young men have wandered off and some of Krakauer’s own life adventures in an attempt to explain what might have been going through McCandless’ mind at the time.  McCandless’ journal is analyzed to add to the timeline of events leading to his eventual demise.  While real answers to ‘why he did it’ and ‘what went wrong’ may never be conclusively found, Krakauer does a good job of covering possible explanations for each and revealing that McCandless might not be as blatantly arrogant or utterly naïve as the reports of his death made him appear. 

Subject Headings: Non-Fiction, Alaska, Wilderness survival, Hitchhiking, Wayfaring Life, Family Problems

Appeal:  Non-task oriented, Leisurely paced, Reflective, Thought-provoking, Journalistic

Terms that best describe this book:

·          Non-Fiction, mid-range on the narrative continuum

·          Wilderness adventure

·          Outdoor life and survival

·          Tragic end, described in the beginning of the book

Similar Authors and Works (all Non-Fiction, from Goodreads):

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston – A true story of wilderness survival, the author describes his experience being trapped for days with no one aware of where he was.  Ralston is forced to make a large sacrifice to escape what otherwise could be his death.

Alive: The story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read – A survival story not about people who put themselves into a wilderness survival situation, but of people who crash-landed head-on into the situation.

The Last Season by Eric Blehm – The true story of a National Park Service ranger who goes missing in the Sierra Nevadas.  The author seeks to solve the mystery of what happened to Randy Morgenson.

Touching the Void: the True Story of One Man’s Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson – An account of two climbing partners who suffer a major accident while climbing in the Andes.  This, while it does not have as tragic an end, is a story of suffering and survival in the wilderness.

 

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer – May appeal if readers enjoyed Krakauer’s particular writing style.  Also deals with a tragedy in an adventurous outdoor setting, in this case, while climbing Mt. Everest.

Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales – A collection of many true stories of survival or tragedy, and an analysis of what makes a person a survivor.  The subject may be of interest to those who enjoy survival stories.