I’ve waited a few months to read this, and I think I’ve softened on my 4-star rating. Initially, during my reading experience, I was incredibly frustrated with McCandless. He seemed too easily susceptible to a lifestyle where a simple mistake could kill you, and I didn’t like the author shrugging his shoulders and saying, “Huh, was he a role model who made a mistake, or a dumb kid who never should have gone to live in the wilderness alone?” To me, the answer seemed obvious. I know people look up to McCandless, so much so that the famous bus had to be moved. But the story read to me as a tragedy, someone who never should been in that situation in the first place. That being said, it was a fast and compelling read that makes me want to read more of Krakauer’s accounts, like Into Thin Air.