In this video essay and adapted article, I discuss the film and nonfiction book Into the Wild and the resonance I found in Wendell Berry’s critique of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the essay “Writer and Region.” Into the Wild reminds me often of Berry’s consistent call for us to embrace the vulnerability and fullness of life that is found in community membership, and I think these two works make for an interesting side-by-side, illuminated powerfully by Berry’s commentary.

Read my article that Front Porch Republic published here: https://www.frontporchrepublic.com/2021/05/civilization-escape-or-community-revisiting-into-the-wild-with-wendell-berry/