Another well-written book by Jon Krakauer, this was a fascinating, and often sad, glimpse into the spiral down of an idealistic young man, Christopher McCandless. Even when his decision-making didn't make sense, the reader still somehow identifies with the internal struggle this young man was going through, and his journey becomes theirs to take with him. It seems terrible to say I enjoyed this book, but I really did. If nothing else, it allowed me to identify with someone else's struggles, while seeing from a safe distance the fallacy in their thinking.

★★★★ ½

Like many people, I often ask myself whether I’m taking enough chances in life, or if I’m avoiding risk at all cost. There must be a middle ground between just going with the flow and the police having to identify your remains by examining dental records.

From Mediterranean Exile: Spain on less than One Bottle of Wine a Day, my as-yet unpublished memoir about my first years in Spain.

I got hooked on Jon Krakauer back in the days when Outside Magazine was a really first rate publication, before it turned into little more than a gear catalogue. I remember reading this story when it was first published there in 1993. Krakauer really had a great nose for a story in this case and he’s also a good writer. The story: A kind of creepy kid wanders off into the Alaska wilderness and doesn’t come out alive. You sort of half-way admire the kid and the other half of you thinks he’s a complete fool. It’s a shame that the creepy kid didn’t write his own story. I was completely haunted by the story from the beginning.

Say what you want about the kid—that he was foolish, that he was naïve about the dangers of attempting to live off the land in the Alaskan wilderness, that he was ill-prepared for the harshness of life in the wild—but you have to admire the kid’s guts and sense of adventure. Most of us live our entire lives without ever really taking anything remotely resembling a risk. I myself have too often chosen comfort over adventure. I don’t know why I behave this way because every time I chose the latter I have been duly rewarded. A little hubris is good for us; sometimes even a little adversity at the other end can straighten us out.

A lot of readers here criticize McCandless for being a fool, for throwing his life away, for taking such an incredible risk, and dozens of other sins. All that I have to say is that I've done plenty of things which could have put me in that cautionary tale category and I only survived by dumb luck, or whatever you want to call it. Looking back on some of that foolishness makes me shudder in disbelief and not a little bit of shame. But there is a flip side. How do people look back on their youth if they had never done anything remotely cool or risky? I can honestly say that I wouldn't know. I did my fair share of stupid shit, and some of it when I was way old enough to know better. I'm getting up there in years, but I still think that dying of old age is totally over-rated.

Krakauer does such a great job of investigative journalism in this book that it reads like the best sort of whodunit. His ventures into opinion are sound and very well balanced. At times he is like the best of trial lawyers mapping out an airtight case. I had read the original article in the magazine, then read the book, and eventually saw the very good movie adaptation directed by Sean Penn. Just this week I listened to the audio book on my epic walks around Valencia and I couldn't stop listening. I would stretch out my walks more and more not wanting to have to put the story on pause. The book makes me want to light out for parts unknown. I’ve seen damn little of the world. At least I’ve read a lot, if that’s any consolation.

How he died, also by Jon Krakauer:
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-...
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-...

New Yorker Obituary: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/p...

Into the Wild is indeed a fascinating yet tragic masterpiece of dramatic storytelling. One of the few books in which I was heavily invested emotionally. Since it was overwhelming in many aspects I had to give it 5 stars. It will remain with me for a long period of time for sure.

First of all the storytelling is incredible. This book is genuinely one of the finest when it comes to narrative reporting. The author has tried his best not to be biased but because he connects with Chris Mccandless at so many levels it indeed turned out to be one. This story has been loved and hated at the same time. Some readers admire the boy immensely for his courage and ideas and some just think that he was a reckless idiot who perished out of arrogance and stupidity.

If I have to make a judgement after reading the whole book then I must say it's not that easy to categorize him in either of the categories. One of the reasons why I like this book and story is that its amazingly human. At the end we all are flawed creatures trying to make sense of the things around us. Some go little far and some just get trapped in the monotony of life. The boy indeed was brilliant and the books he read tells a lot about the personality. Does that also mean that the very books which were indeed fictional creations made him do things in real life which ended in a tragedy ? I guess one would never know and hence it's better to just leave it at that and not speculate.

Also this brings to another aspect which I kept wondering. How would we see this story of idealism, fantasy and wilderness experience if he had not perished and made a return to civilization? Because it's only the benefit of hindsight which makes all of us wiser. What if this and what if that could be endless and hence talking about them is redundant.

I do agree with Chris on many aspects and this can be perfectly summed up in a quote which he wrote in the journal. " Ultimately it is the experiences, memories,the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent in which real meaning is found"
The book is filled with many of such ideas which are indeed insightful and does showcase the brilliance of the hitchhiker who perished in his final journey. Chris possessed grandiose ambitions and be believed that a challenge in which a successful outcome is assured isnt a challenge at all. But ofcourse the wilderness is brutal and it owes no obligation to anybody. He did commit some mistakes but I guess again it all makes sense only in hindsight.

This book is indeed a modern classic of travel literature and does offer a lot for everybody.

The last book I read by Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster) was not a winner for me, so I went into Into the Wild with some hesitation. For me the book about the fatal events on Mount Everest were focused too much on famed mountain climbers and their equipment. For me it read as a sales pitch for climbing gear. Into the Wild has none of that. This book focuses on the man, Chris Johnson McCandless, his psyche and why he did what he did and what was the most probable cause of his death. We know that he died of starvation, but how did this come about? The author’s theory that it was a result of wild potato seed poisoning is convincing to me.

The years before Chris’ trip to Alaska and his ultimate death are revealing. His relationships with his family and his closest friends are covered too. Comparison to others who have like Chris attempted to disappear into the unknown have interesting parallels. The book’s content is well thought out and well researched. There is neither too much information nor too little.

Each chapter begins with quotes. They are relevant, and I appreciate that they are there. The quotes are from the writings of authors such as Jack London, Henry David Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy, men to whom Chris aspired.

I think the author has properly shown who Chris was. I do plan on reading his sister’s view of the events and what she has to add about her brother.

The audiobook is narrated by Philip Franklin. I wish he had read at a slower tempo. Innumerable times I had to backtrack. I am interested in the facts and want to really understand. I need time to jot down notes. For this reason the narration was just OK for me, so the audio performance I have given two stars.


*******************
Into the Wild 4 stars
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster 2 stars

The Wild Truth: A Memoir by Carine McCandless TBR

This book is a wonderful cautionary tale. I will probably read it again with my daughter when she is old enough to discuss it. Unfortunately, I'm afraid the reason most people will read the book and see the new upcoming movie, is for a different reason. Chris McCandless (in the book, and from what I understand in the movie), is a hero and courageous for flying in the face of everything he grew up with to find a better way. A young man unhappy with the materialism, hunger, and waste in the world; angry with his father for not being a perfect father to him; intellectually superior, a fantastic athlete in top condition... and yet a young man who died because of his own decisions and his own actions. He cut off ties to his family, hitchhiked and worked his way to Alaska, headed "into the wild" in April 1992, and was found dead in August 1992 most probably from starvation. How wonderful to "fight against the odds" and "ask real questions". Unfortunately, Chris didn't really fight against any odds, he took the easy way out by cutting off real relationships. Chris may have asked real questions, but he denied real people the opportunity to answer them in any way, because he had already decided what was "the right way". This is not heroic. It is immaturity. It is tragic and sad, yes, but not heroic or courageous.

After reading the book, I think Chris died because he was foolish. Intellectually bright, yes. Athletically gifted, yes. But he had no wisdom. Wisdom has been defined as "skill in living", and wisdom is not always bestowed on the young and the healthy and the intellectually smart. The opposite of wisdom is foolishness. His anger and questioning drove him not to wisdom, but to self-reliance and an overweening arrogance in his own ability to "get through it". Well, we see the result of those decisions and those attitudes.... to quote Darwin, Chris is an example of how "survival of the fittest" applies. Chris was not "fit", therefore he did not "survive". But why wasn't he fit? He was smart and young and gifted in many ways, but he chose to abandon relationships and abandon those who loved him and create himself anew with no relationships and no ties. He walked away from people who loved him, made friends with people who came to love him, and walked away from all of that to find his answers "in the wild" on his own. The way away from love and relationship leads not to life, but indeed to death. And death is what Chris got.

The book quotes Chris' mother as saying, "I haven't prayed since we lost him." (pg. 202) An older man who befriended Chris, Ronald Franz, also says, "When Alex left for Alaska, I prayed. I asked God to keep his finger on the shoulder of that one; I told him that boy was special. But he let Alex die. So on December 26, when I learned what had happened, I renounced the Lord. I withdrew my church membership and became an atheist. I decided I couldn't believe in a God who would let something that terrible happen to a boy like Alex." (pg. 60) But God didn't do anything to Chris, except let him do as he wanted? If Chris sought real answers to his hard questions, God is there, and God can help, but you have to know you need help and submit to someone wiser than you. Chris McCandless never submitted willingly to anyone, and he certainly never admitted anyone else had teaching or wisdom for him. He was smarter than everyone else, better able to see the truth than anyone else. So the heritage Chris McCandless left is one that drives his mother to stop praying, and converts an old man to atheism. Is this the heritage anyone would want?

So read this book, but read it with questions in mind. Why are we lauding a young man as a hero who was actually a foolish man? What kind of society are we in where real courage and real heroism are somehow playing 2nd fiddle to selfishness and arrogance? When are you so intellectually intelligent that you become stupid? Is there any time when foolish decisions could be called "courageous"? In a search for truth and what really matters in life, is it acceptable to think nothing of hurting those people who are most vulnerable to you? When you die, will the way you lived your life cause others to abandon their faith or grow in their faith? Is it ever courageous to be selfish and think only of yourself? Is it harder to walk away from a relationship, or to stay in a relationship and work on making it better? Would you ever teach anyone else that the way to have real relationships is to limit yourself only to those people who cannot ever hurt you?

Real courage, real heroism comes when you love others and you serve others. Real courage has nothing selfish in it. Fathers and husbands who remain with their families and provide for them, even though they would rather have a mid-life crisis and leave it all, they are courageous and heroic. They remain, they work, they don't father or husband perfectly, but they remain in difficult relationships. It courageous to stay in the hard parts of life, and try. Mothers and wives who sacrifice and serve again and again and again without books being written about them, without thanks, but who continue to love and give of themselves to others. That is courageous. It is hard to stay in messy relationships. It is easy to leave. It is courageous to stay and do hard things. It is easy to leave and do what you want.

So, let's read this book, but read it as a cautionary tale. This is what happens when you seemingly 'have it all', but have not love. When you die, will people be driven to become atheists? Will people stop praying when you are dead? Or will you live a life of wisdom and love? Will you leave behind you a heritage of godly love and service? Will people pray more because of the example you left them? Will they be more loving, better mothers or fathers or sisters or brothers? Or will they become angry and arrogant and foolishness? Yes, this is a good book to read. But let's read it for the right reasons and with the right questions.

[NOTE: In the book, and in the movie, the author proposes that Chris ate some poison berries which caused his death. But tests have been made around the area, and plants that would have been available to Chris were tested, and no toxic berries or plants have been found. The truth is probably that he starved. Too few calories coming in, high expenditure of calories for hunting and keeping warm resulted eventually in such a calorie deficit that he died.]

Some good articles I found on Chris McCandless include:
http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/ap...

http://nmge.gmu.edu/textandcommunity/...

Alaskan Park Ranger Peter Christian wrote: “I am exposed continually to what I will call the ‘McCandless Phenomenon.’ People, nearly always young men, come to Alaska to challenge themselves against an unforgiving wilderness landscape where convenience of access and possibility of rescue are practically nonexistent […:] When you consider McCandless from my perspective, you quickly see that what he did wasn’t even particularly daring, just stupid, tragic, and inconsiderate. First off, he spent very little time learning how to actually live in the wild. He arrived at the Stampede Trail without even a map of the area. If he [had:] had a good map he could have walked out of his predicament […:] Essentially, Chris McCandless committed suicide.”[18:] Some may argue that this is what he wanted all along, given his troubled past


****************
An update as of Sept 2013 as to how McCandless died. See http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs... which documents the poison contained in wild potato seeds. Consuming these seeds introduces a neurotoxin into the body which results in lathyrism. This condition causes gradual paralysis which ultimately made McCandless very weak, unable to stand or walk, and thus unable to forage or hunt for food.

Thrilling!

I might be one of the last people on GR to read this, so I'm not sure I have much to add to the conversation, except that it's a sad story and that Krakauer was obviously the right person to tell it. He took risks in his twenties that were just as dangerous as those Chris McCandless took, if not more so, and he clearly identified with Chris to a degree, but he had also been around long enough by the time he wrote this book to see Chris's disappearance and eventual death in the context of the effect they had on the people who'd known him. Krakauer's writing is excellent as usual, but his style here is a bit more formal, less conversational than it would be a few years later, in Into Thin Air. I wonder if he simply became more confident as a writer during the time between books, or if maybe he identified with Chris so strongly that his instinct was to use a voice that sounded more remote, as a counterbalance.

Once or twice I was reminded of the Dostoevsky quote that Ellis uses as an epigraph in American Psycho, the one about the utility of presenting to the reading public a figure who might seem aberrant, but who in fact embodies the spirit of an age. I don't know if I'd go that far in describing Chris, but his story didn't shock me. Aspects of his character reminded me of a lot of people I've known, not to mention people I've seen documentaries about (Timothy Treadwell in Grizzly Man, for example) and his life feels like a fable that our culture might have generated even if it had never happened, a fable that illustrates both the discomfort that many people feel in their negotiations with mainstream adult life, as well as the hardship and danger inherent in rejecting it entirely. Most of us seem to find some uneasy balance, even if only as a matter of fatigue. When I read that Chris had 24 grand in the bank, for instance, my immediate thought was, well, if you really want to see Alaska, why not fly to Fairbanks, get a decent hotel, set out on a weeklong trip, then come back to a hot shower, continental breakfast and cable TV? I can only imagine how Chris would've responded to my hedonistic notions. But there are people who seem to have figured out a kind of balance that, it's possible to imagine, an older Chris might eventually have found himself amenable to. Krakauer, for one. And when I was in Americorps, all of us then in our early twenties, I knew a fair number of outdoorsy people who seemed to be working out how to preserve the camping, hiking, and traveling we were doing that year as central parts of their lives, while also making a few concessions. Chris didn't want to make concessions.

But he was also in his early twenties. I think one of the most poignant sections here is when Krakauer speculates about how Chris might have changed, had he survived. Satisfying the urge to go to one extreme- and sure, the wild denizens of Alaska scorned what they regarded as his pretensions, but Chris was still more extreme than 98% of us- might have helped him to relax a little, and to realize that there's also something to be said for human companionship. But it wasn't to be. One reason I took my time getting around to this book was that I somehow had the impression that I already knew the broad outlines of the story. I didn't really, though. I'd assumed that Chris had gone out to Alaska to kill himself, when that doesn't seem to have been the case at all. He stayed closer to the Alaska Highway than I'd realized, and I certainly hadn't known about how the river, easily passable in the spring, rose up and expanded in the summer, closing off his path back to civilization. That too felt like part of a fable.

Another engaging story by Jon Krakauer! Though I know this is his best known work, I would not say it is my favorite (I think that honor goes to Missoula). It is, nonetheless, a well told account of the life of an intriguing (though not likable) young man, who met a very tragic end - don't worry, it's not a spoiler. I'm not sure I want to see the film, though, what do you think? Is it good or just depressing?

Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com

Into the Wild was an interesting read, but I have been having trouble in putting a rating on it. I had heard vague aspects about Christopher McCandless in the past, and until now, I'd never actually read anything about his life, and his tragic end.

This book was extremely well written. It is thorough in regards to investigating as to why and how McCandless died, and even the events leading up to his death. I enjoyed the author's writing style, and if I'm honest, I was totally pulled in to this story.

We meet a handful of witnesses who knew McCandless on a personal level, and they make a valued contribution to his story. I really enjoyed this read, but I disagree that McCandless is indeed being hailed a hero for the time he spent in the wild. Yes, it is definitely horrendous the way in which he died, but, in my personal opinion, he came across as a selfish and conceited character, who held no care for the people that loved him, therefore, breaking his families hearts. His death could have been entirely avoided had he not been so hubristic and pompous. Also, I think that creating a film out of this was completely the wrong thing to do. What kind of message are we sending out to kids that are easily influenced? This story should be used as a stark warning, not a celebration. I'm glad I read this, and I liked Krakauer's style, despite not agreeing with the way this story was publicised.

O carte captivanta. Deși este o carte tulburatoare si tristă, a avut acel ceva ce m-a captat de la primele pagini si nu am mai putut sa ma opresc din citit. Cand nici macar nu te astepti, exact atunci te surprinde conținutul unei cărți.

"Atâţia oameni trăiesc în nefericire şi, cu toate astea, nu iau iniţiativa de a schimba situaţia în care se află, pentru că sunt condiţionaţi de o viaţă sigură, confortabilă şi conservatoare, care ar trebui să le aducă linişte interioară, dar în realitate nimic nu e mai dăunător spiritului aventuros al omului decât un viitor sigur. Esenţa spiritului omenesc este pasiunea pentru aventură. Bucuria de a trăi este dată de întâlnirile cu experienţe noi, şi de aceea nu-i bucurie mai mare decât să ai un orizont care se schimbă neîncetat, pentru fiecare zi un soare nou şi diferit"

"Te înşeli dacă îţi închipui că Bucuria emană numai sau mai ales din relaţiile interumane. Dumnezeu a presărat-o peste tot în jurul nostru. Ea se află în tot ceea ce ni se întâmplă. Ne trebuie doar curajul de a ne întoarce împotriva stilului nostru obişnuit de viaţă şi de a ne angaja într-o existenţă neconvenţională.
Ce vreau să spun e că nu ai nevoie de nimeni pentru a aduce acest soi de lumină în viaţa ta. Ea aşteaptă pur şi simplu ca tu să o culegi, şi tot ce trebuie să faci e să întinzi mâna. Singura persoană cu care te lupţi eşti tu, cu încăpăţânarea ta de a refuza să profiţi de ocaziile noi."

n April 1992, a young 20-something walked into the Alaskan bush to live off the land and experience Reality. His emaciated body was found four months later. Some of you may have heard about the incident; it was reported in an article in Outside magazine, and carried by some news services. Some lauded him as a new Thoreau, living life to the fullest and taking the consequences; others say he was a stupid, hopeless romantic, an example of what happens when suburbanites try to do The Nature Thing.

Who was Chris McCandless? He was naïve. He was Immortal. Like many of that age, he thought that if he wanted something passionately enough, he was entitled to it. Many of us secretly envy his kind, the drifters who revel in "owning no more possessions than you can carry on your back at a full run," for whom each day is an adventure, an indelible experience. To paraphrase Monty Python, those who live free in the wilderness subsequently die free in the wilderness.

The author suggests that one of his flaws was that he refused to learn from others. He was native talent embodied, making him very good at anything he tried. But he wouldn't listen to the advice of experts, to realize his potential for excellence. Also, one friend commented that although he was a tireless worker even on the nastiest jobs, he didn't have much common sense.

He was independent, that's true enough. He as much as said he wanted to see if he could make it on his own. But it was also clear to me that he needed people for survival. While he survived some dangerous (if stupid) situations on his own, he needed people to pull his fat out of the fire on occasion. For example, in the beginning of his long journey, he ignorantly got his truck disabled in a flash flood; some motorists found him on the verge of heat stroke from traveling through the desert all day. When he was hopelessly lost in a Mexican swamp, Chris stumbled upon some duck hunters who towed his canoe to safety. In the last and terminal episode of his short life, his saviors showed up three weeks too late.

Maybe I'm being too hard on the guy. After all, he managed to last longer than most of us would. But his sin was naiveté, and Nature doesn't give a tinker's damn about our reasons for screwing up.

What killed him? A combination of things. Number one, he purposefully went into the bush without a quad map (lacking a "blank spot on the map" to go to, speculates Krakauer, he ditched the map so that "In his mind, if nowhere else, the terra would thereby remain incognita"). When he had found what he had been looking for and began to hike his way out, he found his way blocked by a river flooded by glacier meltwater. With no map, he couldn't know that a 30 minute hike would have brought him to an abandoned hydrology station with a functional cable crossing. And so he was forced to wait out the summer.
The second error, more forgivable but fatal, was that he poisoned himself. Despite all his hunting and gathering, July found him scrawny and gaunt. Trying to improve his diet, he at the seeds of the wild potato, which at the time contained an toxin which blocks nutrient intake. I say forgivable because his plant books made no mention of this, although a botanist would have guessed this property of the potato family. If he was in good health, his body would have flushed the inhibitors from his system in time, but as it was he had no sugar or protein to spare.

Jon Krakauer, an outdoor writer, is fixated on McCandless. He draws on Chris' writings and photos along with interviews with family and people Chris met on his trek. In the book he relates the ends of others who braved Alaska for whatever reason, from arrogance to ignorance to insanity. He uses his own personal experiences, including his relationship with his father and a foolhardy, nearly fatal climb on a peak in (again) Alaska to bring some insight to Chris' mindset.

So is there a moral to this story? That Mother Nature doesn't suffer fools gladly? "Be Prepared?" As with most things, I suspect that the meaning found in this story will be personalized, unique for each one who reads it.

La mia opinione è che non hai bisogno né di me né di nessun altro per portare questa gioia nella tua vita. È semplicemente lì che ti aspetta, che aspetta di essere afferrata, e tutto quello che devi fare è tendere la mano per prenderla. L'unica persona con cui combatti è te stesso e la tua testardaggine a non lanciarti in nuove esperienze.
–Da una lettera di Chris McCandless

Mi sono avvicinata alla lettura di questo romanzo in seguito ad un discorso particolare intrapreso con un amico, dove concetti come la reincarnazione, vita e morte hanno portato alla domanda: chi è morto il giorno della mia nascita?
La nascita del mio amico coincideva con la morte di Philip K. Dick, mica cippe, quindi mi sono dedicata alla mia ricerca con una certa curiosità. Mi colpì molto scoprire che la morte corrispondente fosse quella di Chris McCandless: un ragazzo che, dopo la laurea, decide di abbandonare tutto per intraprendere un viaggio in autostop di due anni per l’America, che culminerà in quattro mesi nella natura più selvaggia dell’Alaska e, purtroppo, alla sua morte, il 18 agosto 1992.

n  «[…] A volte pensavo che stesse immagazzinando compagnia per quando sapeva di dover stare solo».n

Trovare somiglianze ed entrare in empatia con questo ragazzo, dopo un presupposto del genere, è stato tanto facile quando sorprendente. (La mia psicanalista già si sfrega le manine)

Vorrei ripeterti di nuovo il consiglio che già ti diedi in passato, ovvero che secondo me dovresti apportare un radicale cambiamento al tuo stile di vita, cominciando con coraggio a fare cose che mai avresti pensato di fare o che mai hai osato. C'è tanta gente infelice che tuttavia non prende l'iniziativa di cambiare la propria situazione perché è condizionata dalla sicurezza, dal conformismo, dal tradizionalismo, tutte cose che sembrano assicurare la pace dello spirito, ma in realtà per l'animo avventuroso di un uomo non esiste nulla di più devastante di un futuro certo. Il vero nucleo dello spirito vitale di una persona è la passione per l'avventura. La gioia di vivere deriva dall'incontro con nuove esperienze, e quindi non esiste gioia più grande dell'avere un orizzonte in continuo cambiamento, del trovarsi ogni giorno sotto un sole nuovo e diverso. Se vuoi avere di più dalla vita, Ron, devi liberarti della tua inclinazione alla sicurezza monotona e adottare uno stile più movimentato che al principio ti sembrerà folle, ma non appena ti ci sarai abituato, ne assaporerai il pieno significato e l'incredibile bellezza. Per cui Ron, in poche parole, vattene da Salton City e mettiti sulla strada.
–Da una lettera di Chris McCandless

McCandless viene dipinto come una persona molto sopra le righe, ma con un credo molto ferreo e idee talmente radicate, che lo hanno portato a vivere avventure ed esperienze incredibili per due anni. Il suo grido di libertà non ha lasciato indifferenti le persone che ha incontrato, e lo stesso è successo a me in quanto lettrice.

n  «C'era qualcosa di affascinante in quel giovane» spiega la signora Westerberg, seduta al lucente tavolo in noce su cui quella sera aveva cenato McCandless. «Mi colpì perché sembrava molto più vecchio dei suoi ventiquattro anni. Qualsiasi cosa dicessi, voleva saperne di più - cosa volessi dire, perché la pensassi in un modo piuttosto che in un altro. A differenza di molti di noi, era quel genere di persona che si sforza di mettere in pratica quello in cui crede.n

Un’altra delle cose che mi ha colpito è stato l’impatto che questo ragazzo ha avuto nelle vite di chi lo ha conosciuto, un impatto di cui lui sembrava del tutto inconsapevole. E anche qui mi ci sono rivista un po’, visto che mi sono resa conto di non avere la minima consapevolezza dell’impatto e il peso che ho sulle vite degli altri. (La psicanalista programma le sedute per i prossimi 5 anni)

n  Senza dolore, certo, dal suo punto di vista, non da quello dell'anziano. Ci si può domandare come mai quest'uomo si sia attaccato tanto e così velocemente a Chris, ma non si può mettere in dubbio che il suo affetto fosse genuino, intenso e incondizionato. Per molti anni aveva vissuto un'esistenza solitaria, senza famiglia e con pochi amici. Individuo disciplinato e autosufficiente, se la cavava decisamente bene se consideriamo l'età e la solitudine, ma quando McCandless era entrato in scena, aveva messo a repentaglio le difese meticolosamente erette nel corso degli anni. Franz adorava la compagnia del giovane, ma al tempo stesso quest'amicizia in germoglio lo costringeva a ricordare quanto in realtà fosse solo. Chris aveva smascherato il vuoto della sua esistenza nell'aiutarlo a riempirlo. Quando poi se ne andò, all'improvviso così come era arrivato, il vecchio ne rimase profondamente e inaspettatamente ferito.n

Mi aspettavo fosse un libro più leggero, forse perché la lettura del libro Wild di Cheryl Strayed mi aveva influenzato in positivo; invece mi sono ritrovata davanti ad un libro che analizza nei minimi dettagli la vita, il carattere, le azioni, le scelte, gli errori e la morte di una persona. Il tema del fallimento è molto ricorrente nella prima parte, ed infatti è stata quella che più mi ha trasmesso angoscia. Vengono presi sotto esame altri casi simili, dove il messaggio più ricorrente sembra essere sempre: a volte, non ce la fai a cambiare la tua vita, a volte fallisci semplicemente, e te ne vai senza far rumore.

n  L'Alaska ha sempre esercitato un certo fascino su sognatori e disadattati, su chi pensa di poter rattoppare i buchi della propria esistenza nell'incontaminata vastità dell'Ultima Frontiera. Soltanto che la foresta non perdona e di sogni e desideri non sa che farsene.n

È un messaggio molto difficile da mandare giù, soprattutto perché intossicati da tutte le storie di svolta e cambiamento finite bene, che tanto ci piace leggere per rassicurarci.

n  Walt cade nel silenzio, lo sguardo assente rivolto lontano. «Chris era spericolato anche da piccolo» prosegue dopo una lunga pausa. «Non gli passava per la testa che la fortuna avesse per lui le stesse regole che per gli altri. Sempre, sempre bisognava andare a riacchiapparlo prima che fosse troppo tardi.»n

Nella seconda parte i toni si risollevano, analizzando nel dettaglio gli errori che hanno portato McCandless alla morte. Errori anche piuttosto semplici, che si potevano tranquillamente evitare con una giusta preparazione e organizzazione. Si sottolinea come Chris sia riuscito a sopravvivere tranquillamente per quattro mesi e che, se non avesse commesso quegli errori, probabilmente ce l’avrebbe fatta. Questo, per quanto triste, riconduce ad una possibilità di scelta e non al fatalismo e alla predestinazione.
Il fatto che il carattere di McCandless mi abbia ricordato tantissimo me, prima che mi capitasse una serie di cose, è una componente molto personale e soggettiva; ma ciò non cambia che quest’analisi nel dettaglio, portata avanti dell’autore, possa far vedere la propria vita in un’angolazione diversa. (La psicanalista è sempre più ottimista: “Facciamo otto”)

n  «[…] Correvamo più lontano e più veloce possibile, lungo strani percorsi, boschi, qualsiasi cosa, con lo scopo evidente di perderci, di spingerci in territori sconosciuti, per poi correre a passo leggermente più lento, fino a quando non scorgevamo una strada conosciuta e filavamo a casa a piena velocità. In un certo senso Chris ha affrontato così tutta la vita.»n

A differenza di quello che può suggerire il titolo, le terre estreme che ci si appresta ad esplorare, leggendo questo romanzo, sono quelle dell’animo umano. Di uno nello specifico. È un libro che mette fortemente in discussione molti aspetti. Vengono sentite tutte le campane possibili, i sostenitori e i detrattori, e questo lascia molto spazio al lettore per riflettere e farsi una propria idea senza influenze. Il messaggio che lascia, alla fine, è comunque molto bello, positivo e utile, quindi non posso che consigliarlo.

n  Sarebbe facile classificare Chris nello stereotipo del ragazzo troppo sensibile, del giovane svitato che ha letto troppi libri e manca di un minimo di buon senso. Ma così facendo sentiremmo di non aver esaurito l'argomento. McCandless non era un irresponsabile scansafatiche, con fuso e alla deriva, tormentato dalla disperazione esistenziale. Al contrario, la sua esistenza brulicava di significati e propositi. Ma il significato che il ragazzo attribuiva alla vita, andava oltre un tracciato di comodo: McCandless diffidava del valore dei traguardi facili, e pretendeva molto da sé, molto di più, in conclusione, di quanto non fosse in grado di dare.n