Welcome to Litsy!

An interesting enough read. Stories of people missing in the wilderness are always compelling. This one didn‘t do enough that was sufficiently different to Krakauer‘s Into the Wild for me, so I came away a bit underwhelmed. Will annoy you if you‘re the kind of read that needs closure.

This book tells the story of travel blogger Justin Alexander, & what presumably is his final adventure in India. While he‘s an interesting person, he seems like he was trying to get away from himself with his travels. but where ever you go, you take yourself. Interesting bits about other missing travelers, “India-syndrome” & the stories of those who successfully renounce modern life & live in the caves.
#20in4

Justin Alexander disappeared into india‘s Parvati Valley in 2016. He hasn‘t been seen since. This account of his life will inevitably be compared to Krakauer‘s Into The Wild. Rustad did some admirable groundwork here interviewing people and providing a framework for why India continues to beckon Westerners. My only criticism is that some of Justin‘s life (childhood trauma,sexual ambiguity) felt glossed over. Despite this, it‘s a page-turner.

Add this one to the pantheon of stories about “young man searching for something goes missing in the wild.” What‘s interesting about this story is the large number of people who meet bad ends in the vicinity where this young man went missing and the ultimate explanation for why he was searching in the first place, which turns out to be quite sad.

Justin Alexander Shetler was restless soul, determinant to find deeper meaning of existence through nature and eastern philosophy. He went to India, Parvati Valley, where numerous adventures went missing … and that's what happened to Jastin too. Very detailed, well written, compelling story about young man on the way to live differently.
👇

I went into this story of the missing adventurer/wanderer/survivalist/influencer Justin Alexander without knowing anything about his life or the circumstances of his disappearance. This is a well-researched account of Justin‘s life leading up to his last known whereabouts in the Indian mountains where travelers often disappear. I was reminded a bit of The Cold Vanish (tagged ⬇️) which I enjoyed.