Book Reviews

WILD

Author: Cheryl Strayed

I am 100% guilty of researching books that are becoming movies and reading them beforehand so I can criticize the movie and be the girl that says, 'The book was better...'. 

Sorry I'm not sorry. 

One of my research expeditions led to Wild. I heard Reese Witherspoon was going to be the lead and that her new production company had purchased the rights to the book because she loved it so much and wanted to do the book justice. I was instantly intrigued. 

Wild turned out to be one of my favorite books I've ever read. It is a memoir that takes you on a journey of self-discovery, one that I feel I am on now, and examines the trials and tribulations of a twenty-something woman who has experienced loss that she cannot overcome. She finds herself on a downward spiral that results in drug use, infidelity, and a skewed moral compass. 

The thing that I thought was interesting about Cheryl Strayed's story was that she was completely aware that the decisions she was making were taking her on a path of self-destruction, but she did nothing to right her ship. She didn't want to make good decisions because the bad decisions were the easiest ones to make. 

After realizing she was reaching the point of no return with a serious drug issue and a fresh divorce, she decided she wanted to travel the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and try to find herself. She wanted to travel alone and travel back to the person she once was. She encounters people on the trail that become her trail friends who, unknowingly, teach her invaluable life lessons. She gets stuck in a bush trying to outrun a wild bull. She hikes part of the trail in flip flops after losing her too-small boots to a cliff. She travels a total of 1,100 miles along the west coast and reaches her destination on the trail and in life. 

This book took me to places I didn't think I could go, mentally and emotionally. I laughed, I cried, I said 'WHAT THE FUCK?!' countless times, I was moved, I felt empathetic, I fell in love with this book. 

I would recommend this book to anyone. 

FAVORITE FACT: Strayed is no Cheryl's married name or maiden name. She changed her last name to Strayed after her divorce from her husband because she wanted to start fresh and feel connected to her name. AWESOME!