Reviews
"No one can write like Cheryl Strayed. Wild is one of the most unflinching and emotionally honest books I've read in a long time. It is about forgiveness and grief, bravery and hope. It is unforgettable." -Ann Hood, author of The Knitting Circle "While reading Cheryl Strayed's stunning book about her arduous solo journey along the Pacific Crest Trail, I kept asking myself-what would I do if I were stripped bare of everything-money, job, community, even family and love? Thoreau once said, 'In wildness is the preservation of the world.' For Strayed, it is clear that in wildness was the preservation of her soul. She reminds us, in her lyrical and courageous memoir Wild , of what it means to be fully alive, even in the face of catastrophe, physical and psychic hardship, and loss." -Mira Bartók, author of The Memory Palace "Cheryl Strayed can sure tell a story. In Wild ,she describes her journey from despair to transcendence with honesty, humor, and heart-cracking poignancy. This is a great book." -Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia and Seeking Peace "A courageous and transforming journey-spirit and body." -Ursula Hegi, author of Stones from the River "Arresting . . . So many heal-myself memoirs are available that initially I hesitated about [ Wild ]. Then I considered the source: Cheryl Strayed, the author of a lyric yet tough-minded first novel [called] Torch -a Great Lakes Book Award finalist . . . Wild [is] Strayed's account of her 1,100-mile solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, from the Mojave Desert to Washington State. Shattered at 26 by her mother's death, her family's fragmenting, and the end of her marriage, Strayed upped and decided to do something way out of the realm of her experience; here she confronts snowstorms and rattlesnakes even as she confronts her personal pain. Wish I had her guts!" -Barbara Hoffert, LibraryJournal.com "This is a big, brave, break-your-heart-and-put-it-back-together-again kind of book. Cheryl Strayed is a courageous, gritty, and deceptively elegant writer. She walked the PCT to find forgiveness, came back with generosity-and now she shares her reward with us. I snorted with laughter, I wept uncontrollably; I don't even want to know the person who isn't going to love Wild. This is a beautifully made, utterly realized book." -Pam Houston, author of Contents May Have Shifted and Cowboys Are My Weakness "Spectacular!" -Elizabeth McCracken, author of The Giant's House "Cheryl Strayed is one of the most exciting writers I've come across in a long time." -Hope Edelman, author of Motherless Daughters "Smart, funny, and often sublime, Wild has something for everyone-a fight for survival in the wilderness, a bad girl's quest for redemption-all in the hands of a brilliant and evocative writer." -Chelsea Cain, author of Heartsick "Stunning . . . An incredible journey, both inward and outward." -Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
