Book Review: Into the Wild

This is a book about guys being guys, in some good ways and some not so good ways.

The book tells the story of Christopher McCandless and how he ended up starving to death in the Alaskan wilderness. McCandless graduated college, gave all his money to a charity that helps feed the hungry ($20,000) and drove away from his DC suburb life, never to be heard from again. He wandered the country for a while and ended up spending a couple of months in Alaska, where he eventually died of starvation.

What I liked about the book: McCandless seems to have tapped into the fact that materialism is nonsense. Material things don't bring happiness, and he was willing to give away most of his earthly possessions and seek something greater. He also believed in providing for himself and found great value in manual labor. He had a hard time accepting handouts and preferred to work for what he received. He also chased his dreams.

What I didn't like about the book: McCandless seemed to hate anything organized, such as the government and religion. He believed more in a spiritual communion with nature than in anything else. He also seemed to think that one could only provide for themselves in the moment and not for the future. He didn't believe in planning ahead, preferring to let "life" lead him where it may. He therefore ended up relying on the kindness of strangers for food and housing. But when it came to money or other material things, he had to work for it. There seemed a disconnect here to me because he was willing to accept one form of charity but rejected another. Furthermore, that charity was provided for by the very system and way of life he rejected. If everyone lived as he did there would be nobody to be charitable.

I also didn't like the way he treated his family. He seemed a little late in maturing. He could forgive others their faults, but when it came to his family he held grudges. He dropped off the face of the earth and never spoke to them again, his heart was filled with a lot of hatred of his father. I had a hard time being sympathetic to a guy who treated his family like garbage, regardless of whatever sin they committed against him.

Finally, the book has a lot of anti religious sentiment, preferring that people "seek their own path" or "find their own way" or some other new-age crap like that. How is it someone can be so arrogant as to reject a philosophy based solely on the fact that other people have believed it, and think that they are the first in all of human history to stumble on the path of true enlightenment? There is nothing new under the sun. People believe all kinds of nonsense and feel as though they are the first of our race to actually "get it." This is pride, plain and simple. To reject something simply because someone else thought of it first is foolish and could not be more self centered.

The poor spiritual aspect of the book was disappointing, but the story and a few of the questions raised were interesting. I give the book two and a half stars out of five. I'd recommend it on a conditional basis, its definitely not something everybody should read, but some may find it interesting.