Krakauer included passages from Chris's journals and notes, how does this help to get a complete sense of Chris's story?

Krakauer could have told the story completely in his own words just by using the research he'd collected. Using Chris' writing and journals allows the reader to connect with Chris himself and to understand his motives........... or not. Chris' relationship with his parents, and the relationships he builds along the way are important....... but it's important that Chris also speaks for himself being that he left his words behind.