Week of November 30th

Hello Fellow Readers!
We are chugging along here! Hopefully, you are enjoying our reading a little bit!

It is not surprising to me at all that many people commenting on the blog as of late are annoyed or disliking Chris McCandless at this point. I have been told by many that once you have your own kids, it is next to impossible to forgive Chris and his actions (for most people.)

We spend this week diving into Chris' past and then on Krakauer's journey to the bus in Alaska. The students will be reading through Chapter 15 this weekend. Here are some things to think about :

- Could anyone other than Jon Krakauer have written this book? Would it have been a significantly different book if Krakauer did not have the affinity for McCandless that he does?

- What would an alternative have been for Chris McCandless - where he still might have achieved what he wanted to achieve - without meeting death?

Happy Reading!
Travis Rother

Sad Story

I think this story is so sad. It seems so odd that a person would not want a friend they could confide in or have a lasting connection with. What is it that he is running away from?

Can't see the trees for the forest...?

Chris (AKA Alex) is so focused on his "big adventure in Alaska" that he does not prepare himself in the necessary details needed for survival. Interesting, but not surprising, that a young rebellious mind such as his thinks he "knows it all" and can conquer this task on his own! Don't we as parents all see this in our own teens...

To pity, or not to pity?

I don't get "Alex" at all. Obviously, he is very unhappy, but so far the writer has not written enough about him or his past to grasp why. I'm not sure if I should feel sorry for him, or if maybe he got exactly what he was really after. Was he so ticked off at someone/everyone that he had such a strong desire to prove his complete independence? Was he clinically depressed? Was he mentally unbalanced? I can understand that someone might want to escape to a new existence if they're unhappy. I can understand someone having a sense of adventure and wanting to see places and have new life experiences. But what in the world would cause someone to go hungry unnecessarily, to sleep under a tarp in the desert instead of in a comfy bed, to live as a hobo and a hermit when there are people who care about you? Will we find out?

Wow...

It is so depressing... Alex's (Chris) desire for the nomadic life that he urges Ronald Franz to experience is an endless run from reality. It is so sad to see a young man so detached from his fellow men, he trusts no one completely. Were these issues caused by external/environmental experiences at home, substance use, or a genetic mental illness?? The fact that he glamorized, in his mind, the Alaska experience he was going to undertake makes it obvious that he is quite delusional. He seems intellectually capable of understanding the undertaking, but is driven by his emotional quest to escape.

First 4 Chapters

I read the first 4 chapters last night and I'm not sure how I feel about "Alex." I'm assuming as the book goes on that I will gain some sympathy for him, but at this point I'm feeling like, "you're an idiot!" As I was reading I kept thinking of the TV show "Survivorman" and how ill prepared Alex was going into this adventure. I understand his desire to want to live an authentic life and find it admirable that he is willing to forgo the worldly comforts. But to go into the wilderness with one bag of rice, no ax and a small shotgun, seems feeble at best. It does seem to be a page turner though, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this all plays out.

Welcome Parents

Welcome Parents!

I am excited to have SO many parents joining us with our first Parent Read-Along for the book Into the Wild.

Using the Blog:

Feel free to start a conversation on the blog. You may post questions, leave comments, or just read what others have to say (although I encourage you to POST). You may need to create a blogger/google account in order to post, but I encourage you to do so.

This Week:

- We will be reading chapters 5 through 9 of Into the Wild this week.

- In class, we have been looking at people who make the choice to live on the fringe of society. We have looked at living "Off the Grid" and we will meet the inhabitants of Bullhead City in this week's readings.

- The biggest question students are asking me now is "Why does Chris cut ties from his family?" For most of our kids, this is a little unfathomable (especially giving away such a large trust fund), and I am not sure they are fully grasping yet how totally unhappy Chris was with the "middle class" lifestyle of his family. What would it take for someone to be so unhappy that they would give up everything for a new life?

Enjoy the reading this week!

Travis Rother