Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

I've heard this title brought up in review literature often, and was curious to read something else by Krakauer after the well-researched and well-written Under the Banner of Heaven, especially after reading the blurb on the front cover:

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter....

Krakauer's writing is engaging and the story fascinating, though I would guess everyone has their own opinion of McCandless - that he was a nut, that he was on his own path, or that it was simply a twist of fate that took his life.

Very interesting non-fiction read, and at barely 200 pages, a quick read as well.