TOW #24 - IRB: Section Two of Into the Wild

Christopher McCandless' Final Picture

Although Into The Wild is also a biography like my last independent reading book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, I have a vastly different set of takeaways. Firstly, to address what is very similar between the two, both biographies showed me that non-fiction stories can be just as interesting and compelling as fictional ones, if not even more fascinating due to their factuality. In terms of what is different, Malcolm X’s story spoke on an important and well-documented era in relatively-recent American and African American history, whereas McCandless’ story is about survival, self-reliance, and the concept of starting fresh. Much of his desire to start a new life under new name came from his discovery of a long-hidden family secret that caused him to distrust and detest his parents, ultimately resulting in him cut off communication with them. This in itself speaks to the importance that honesty held for McCandless, who was often regarded as a strictly moral person. Additionally, due to the fact that wilderness survival and self-reliance are both things I have always been interested in and valued, I now have knowledge about a true story that doesn’t quite end as happily as some other books I’ve read regarding those two topics. Even though he had prepared himself well and survived adequately for several months, his story simply goes to show you that so much is still controlled by mother nature, regardless of how ready you believe you are to survive alone. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in survival, self-reliance, or even just looking for a (true) gripping story to read about as Krakauer’s Into The Wild has got it all.