Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a contagiously inspirational story of the young man Christopher Johnson McCandless who comes from a very well-to-do family. Being fed up with the lifestyle his very conservative parents had pushed on him since birth, in 1992 Chris gave $25,000 to charities, ditched his car, burned his wallet, and adapted a new personality for himself. A short four months later Chris was found decomposing in an abandoned bus in the middle of Alaska. The story of what happened to this young man can be found within the bindings of Into the Wild.

As in most stories made up solely of non-fiction, knowing details and translating them into the writing is a where the real skill comes in. Without details, how will readers truly understand how and why things are happening? Krakauer does an exceptional job including key details from Chris’s journey which, if were not included, would make the story much less enjoyable.   On the other hand, although details are important, having the ability to write readable content is more essential! Half the time while reading this book I felt lost. Krakauer skips around so much in this book that it is hard to know when and where things are happening.

  I must admit my favorite aspect of this story is how inspirational it was and how much of a good learning experience it gave me. Without having to leave your seat, area you are able to travel across America in the life of a vagrant youth looking to change his life. While you follow the story of Chris McCandless, you are able to see subtle changes in his personality without losing the solid storyline that made the book a winner.

Overall, I think that this story is extremely descriptive and inspirational. If, after reading this book, you have no desire to go out and do something at all adventurous, then this book has failed you. I found this book to be particularly vivid when talking about Chris’ adventures as if you were really living it. Into the Wild is a story that makes you think about life as you know it now and wonder what would happen if you really did have to live out in the wilderness.