Into the Wild

This book, by Jon Krakauer was a good read. It's the true story of a young man who takes off fresh out of college and, for all intents and purposes, disappears. He abandons family ties in favor of roaming the country with the barest of essentials, and ultimately meets his demise in the Alaskan wilderness (this is all stuff on the cover folks...I'm hopefully not spoiling anything here).

His family learns his fate after he's found, and the author retraces his steps in order to try and bring some understanding to the journey he was on.

Krakauer also wrote the excellent Under the Banner of Heaven, and gave us a really well constructed story.

Edit: As long as I'm mentioning Under the Banner of Heaven, I'll give it a quick review as well. This one starts out as a story (a true one) about murder, and ultimately delves into the origins and subsequent role of the Mormon religion. Very well written and a very interesting read for anyone wondering how Mormonism came about. Quick warning though, the crime in question is pretty horrific.

Following the Mormon religion vein, the book Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found my Faith, by Martha Beck is another nonfiction account of life within the Mormon church. Again, very well written and engaging, and while it also includes some very sad points, it is a testament to the power of the human spirit.