What could possibly have moved a talented young man who had just received his college diploma to figuratively walk away from his life? Internationally bestselling author Jon Krakauer explores the obsession that drives some people to explore the outer limits of self, leave civilization behind, and seek enlightenment through solitude and contact with nature by examining the true story of Chris McCandless, a young man who in 1992 walked deep into the Alaskan wilderness and whose SOS note and emaciated corpse were found four months later. The Guardian called him "an extraordinarily great writer" and praised his portrayal of "Alex Supertramp" as "powerfully theatrical," "a riveting narrative of sad idealism," and "eliciting pity for both the idealistic, anti-consumerist youngster - and his parents."