Into the Wild, written by John Krakauer in 1996, is an adventure-style book that follows the real story of Chris McCandless, a young man in his 20’s who, after graduating from university in Atlanta, Georgia, abandoned his family and money and departed on an adventure to Alaska. Krakauer documented Chris’s story as a quest for meaning and self-discovery. The book goes in-depth into his adventure across the country which ultimately led to Chris McCandless’s death in the wild. 

I really enjoyed reading this book because of the three main themes that are highlighted, one of which is “the search for meaning.” McCandless’s journey is ultimately about finding the true purpose of life, and he travels to many different states to try and find the feeling he’s looking for. 

Another main theme is the mission of “self discovery”; Chris spends a lot of time by himself, doing the opposite of what is considered normal by today’s standards, taking photos of his adventure as well as writing notes on how it’s going and what he’s doing. 

The last main theme of the story is “the beauty and danger of nature.” The author of the book highlights the beautiful scenery that Chris experiences as well as the harsh reality of mother nature and what it can do if you come unprepared, which is what ultimately leads to Chris’s death. 

I enjoyed getting to know the main character Chris McCandless, who I would describe as an intelligent and passionate individual who doesn’t want to be “normal” in society; he wants to break the rules and be free, in a sense. 

McCandless’s story is inspiring but tragic at the same time: it shows readers that the search for meaning is beautiful, but it can also be dangerous if you don’t come prepared. Chris’s story is eye-opening and teaches us a lot about understanding the world and ourselves. 

I would give this book a rating of 10 out of 10, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about real life adventure stories.