Cheryl Strayed really struck a chord in me with Wild, probably for two very different reasons.
First, I have witnessed the effects of losing a parent too young, how someone's entire existence and identity are changed, often in ways one can't even predict or halt. Such a powerful story about Strayed's mother.
But second, Wild resonates with me because of my own solo journey experience. My bicycle tour of the Natchez Trace Parkway in 2007 was puny in comparison to Strayed's hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, but the range of emotions--the acceptance and resolve one adopts when things don't go well, and then finally, the peace of mind and joy at the end--all of those things I experienced on my bike as well.
This just makes me want to take a year and do my dream ride, the perimeter of the U.S. Unlike Strayed, however, I'm not sure I'll ever make such a radical decision and do it. Great memoir.
from the publisher: At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother's death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State--and she would do it alone. Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.
First, I have witnessed the effects of losing a parent too young, how someone's entire existence and identity are changed, often in ways one can't even predict or halt. Such a powerful story about Strayed's mother.
But second, Wild resonates with me because of my own solo journey experience. My bicycle tour of the Natchez Trace Parkway in 2007 was puny in comparison to Strayed's hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, but the range of emotions--the acceptance and resolve one adopts when things don't go well, and then finally, the peace of mind and joy at the end--all of those things I experienced on my bike as well.
This just makes me want to take a year and do my dream ride, the perimeter of the U.S. Unlike Strayed, however, I'm not sure I'll ever make such a radical decision and do it. Great memoir.
from the publisher: At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother's death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State--and she would do it alone. Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.
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