I just finished reading Wild-From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail
by Cheryl Strayed. I know this book is
now a movie starring Reese Witherspoon, and yes, I could have just watched the
movie, but I’m one of those people that think you really need to know the
“details” that are sometimes skipped when a book goes to film. The story begins
with the quick and early death of Cheryl’s mother from lung cancer at the age
of 45, sending Cheryl’s own mental and moral well-being into a tailspin.
The Amazon book description nutshells the story with the following synopsis of the book: “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.”
Since I’ve
devoted two paragraphs, you may get the impression that I liked this book. You
would be correct. In fact it is one of Huffington Post's 21 Books from The Last 5 Years That Every
Woman Should Read. I really do agree.
