Into the Wild

For book club, it was my month to choose our reading material. I decided to read something I’ve been meaning to read for a while and just hadn’t gotten around to. On top of that, I wanted to give my co-readers a choice. I needed at least two books with similar plots or themes. That’s when I decided on Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air and Into the Wild. Both by the same author, on my ‘need to read’ shelf, and adventure writing, I thought they’d be different than other books we read.

Into the Wild is a book that stirs up opinions. God knows it did in book club. Chris McCandless just graduated from Emery and decided to go on his very own Odyssey out to the west of the United States. The year is 1992 and Chris didn’t tell anyone where he was going, opting to be like his favorite writers and spend time in the wild away from civilization. His ultimate goal: make it to Alaska, the last wilderness and live off the land. Along the way, he made friends, had near death experiences, and lived his idealized life. Unfortunately, there’s a reason it’s an idealized life. Chris was found outside of Fairbanks, Alaska dead. In Krakauer’s book, we follow Chris around the country and get to know him the best we can.

I hesitantly picked up this book. All I could think of was, this kid is a dumb ass. Who burns their money, deserts their family, and goes into Alaska with very little knowledge of how to live off the land? He deserved what he got for his arrogance. But then I started reading about McCandless. I started understanding his longing for nature, the unknown, testing his limits, and a life altering trip. I envied his ability to have a philosophy that he lived by, truly live by. His ideas were romantic, and as Krakauer points out, not always based on truth in the case of The Call of the Wild, but there was something innocent and beautiful in his ideals. I connected with McCandless. Although I’m not going to hike around the country, I understood the longing to get out of modern society with all its distractions and reconnect with the beauty and overwhelming power of nature.

The book brought up great discussion points from communing with nature, ideals, the power of fiction, youth and stupidity, and somehow sex (it always seems to creep in there, that’s what she said).

I highly recommend this book to the adventure seeker or nature lover. Maybe you will hate McCandless for being a selfish kid. Maybe you’ll love the idea of traveling without expectation or limits. It was surprising how much I enjoyed this book while still having reservations about the main character. If you’ve seen the movie, give the book a try. I’ve heard they paint two different pictures.

If you liked this book and want others like it here are my suggestions:

• A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
• Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
• A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins
• The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Fairytale/Folktale Adaption: Part 2 "The Snow Child"

First, how do you like the new look? I decided it was time for a change.

Second, back to my fairytale adaptions! I love a good adaption, and I hope you do too dear reader.

"The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey

Jack and Mabel dreamed of a child. A little one to run around, help with the farm, create chaos, and be the most loved and cherished blessing in their lives. Unfortunately, fate had not been kind to them in this respect.

Alaska, 1920. On the frontier, Jack and Mabel started a new life, but after a couple years of attempting to live off the land, they have not gotten far. Isolated from the outside world and a quiet couple as is, Mabel finds her days lonely and Jack, ever aging, is finding the land more and more difficult to work. The harsh winters and even harsher landscape make living a chore and the wilderness bites at them. One night, on a whim, the couple builds a snow child with Mabel’s scarf and gloves. The next day, the snow child is destroyed, but wandering around the woods is a beautiful little girl with pale skin, hair as white as snow, and icy blue eyes who is wearing the scarf and gloves. Mabel and Jack slowly form a relationship with this young girl and build on it throughout the years until they think of her as their own child.

Intertwined in a story of heartache and wonder is a beautiful tale about a mysterious child and the couple who love her. This is a wonderful retelling of an old Russian folktale that is rich in atmospheric detail and runs beneath the surface. Here is an adult folktale come to life and Ivey does a beautiful job of showing the reader what frontier Alaska is like on a daily basis and how this couple came to be there, stay there, and eventually call it their home.

Although the novel is a bit slow, especially at first, it is worth a read. This is a story that will stick with you and make you shiver from the descriptions of the cold, dark days of Alaskan winter.

If I lived there, I'd probably miss pumpkin spice lattes.

And so goes another book! Check off "If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name". Although the title is cheesy, it actually accurately depicts the scope of the book. This non-fiction piece, written by Heather Lende, is about the small town of Haines, Alaska. Originally I thought this would be a bit more about the wildlife, water, mountains, and stuff to do, but I was happily surprised by its people centered approach. This is not a book about a place, so much as it is about the people who live in the place. Alaska has molded these people into who they are in this small town, but Heather focuses on her relationships and the personalities in Haines.

The book is a bit of a "here's what I learned from that" kind of book, but it's sweet. Heather writes obituaries for the local paper, so a lot of her stories talk about death, which is depressing, but they always come back to the joys of living (especially in Alaska). It's an easy read and I enjoyed getting to know the townees, even if I did roll my eyes once or twice at the obvious life lessons. One thing I took out of this book is even if those lessons are obvious, sometimes it takes a smack in the face to realize how true they are.

I enjoyed her stories about her everyday life, running along mountainous roads, seeing seals sunbathing, and catching moose babies and cubs in her back yard. She did a good job of making you feel like a part of the town. It was nice to get a small taste of living in Alaska even during it's blinding storms and dangerous living conditions. It must be a surreal life.

I suggest reading this book during the winter. It's perfect for snuggling up with a blanket, hot cup of coffee, and a roaring fire. Perhaps then you can really get the feel for what living in Haines, Alaska is like.