Title of the Book: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Author: Cheryl Strayed
# of Pages: 315
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Review: 

“How wild is was, to let it be,” says Cheryl Strayed, the author of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. It took a long journey for her to come to this conclusion. This journey was filled with countless troubles, not enough money, and one tough hike. Strayed wrote this nonfiction story about her travels on the Pacific Crest Trail, where she backpacked for over three months from New Mexico to Oregon.

Why is she hiking? Does she have experience with backpacking? Did she do this journey completely alone? Was she afraid? These are a few excellent questions that are all definitely answered in Strayed’s novel.

The rawness and honesty in the words Strayed writes are contemplative on not only her own perspective and they don’t only ask questions that revolve around her life. Her tone is always clear and reflective of the past and her present. However, the themes throughout the story expose the reality of women as hikers, traveling alone, and even simply just being a backpacker. As interesting as these subjects might seem on their own, Strayed even ties in stories of her past to explain her motives, hopes, and dreams.

My favorite moments from the book come about as the writer met other characters and shared connections with them. It was eye-opening and encouraging to see the quick bonds they made on the trail, even when they met for the first time.

Although Wild was written by an English major, it was not formally put together until seventeen years after the adventure had taken place. This gives a unique new perspective to the story through Cheryl Strayed’s journals and memories. This also lets the audience see into both her past life, of before and during her time on the trail, and after, even how it felt to go back to it many years later.

Wild is full of hope, determination, and encouragement. No part of the story is romanticized, yet it is filled with excitement. Like Strayed mentions, “I didn’t know where I was going until I got there,” you don’t know where this book is headed or what its intentions are until you read it. For this reason, I must recommend this story for only very mature audiences, and I am pleased to rate it four out of five stars.