Wild

A memoir about hiking 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail alone, written by a woman who had no hiking experience and was running from the worst years of her life. Cheryl Strayed’s mother had died, her marriage had fallen apart, and she had spiraled into addiction. She bought a backpack she could barely lift, drove to the Mojave Desert, and started walking north.

Why This Book

“Wild” is the book that proved hiking memoirs could reach a massive audience. It spent over seven years on the New York Times bestseller list and was adapted into a film starring Reese Witherspoon. But the reason it resonates is not the celebrity endorsement. It is the raw honesty with which Strayed writes about pain, recovery, and the transformative power of putting one foot in front of the other when everything in your life has gone wrong.

For anyone considering their first long hike, Strayed’s experience is deeply encouraging. She made every beginner mistake imaginable: her pack was far too heavy, her boots were the wrong size (she lost six toenails), and she had barely looked at a map before setting out. She was terrified, exhausted, and frequently lost. She kept going anyway, and the trail slowly put her back together.

The book is also a vivid portrait of the Pacific Crest Trail itself, the communities of hikers who walk it, and the stark beauty of the landscapes from Southern California through Oregon. Strayed writes about nature with a poet’s eye, and the physical details of trail life, the blisters, the thirst, the weight of the pack, make you feel like you are walking beside her.

What to Expect

An emotionally intense memoir at 315 pages. The hiking narrative alternates with flashbacks to Strayed’s life before the trail, including difficult passages about her mother’s death and her own self-destructive behavior. The writing is literary and moving. If you want a book that will make you feel something and possibly inspire you to plan a hike of your own, this is it.