While on vacation at my in-laws’ house, I read Wild and completely freaked out over how amazing it was. In the comments section, not one, not two, but THREE awesome people immediately recommended her advice column (“Dear Sugar”) and the book of compilation columns, Tiny Beautiful Things. So, being eager for more things Cheryl Strayed and in love with her writing, I promptly borrowed my library’s ebook. And then proceeded to read it greedily, tears pouring down my face half the time. Let’s start with […]
Getting lost, going wild, finding yourself.
One of my students read Cheryl Strayed’s Wild for her book review and oral report this last spring and raved about it. I’ve had several friends recommend it to me, and I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I thought that summer vacation would be an excellent time to finally break into Wild. I’m honestly really sad that I didn’t read it a lot sooner. When Wild opens, a 26-year-old Cheryl Strayed is in the process of losing her boots while in the middle […]
She Chose Her Own Last Name
I hadn’t heard of this book before Reese Witherspoon chose to produce a film version of it (which I’ve not yet seen, but plan to). The premise (is that the word you use when someone is writing about things that actually happened?) is that Ms. Strayed, a few years after the loss of her mother to cancer, the end of her own marriage, and some drug use, decided to hike the Pacific Coast Trail. I grew up spending at least a month a year in […]
Absolutely Stunning
Immediately after reading Wild, I posted on facebook, tagging all the women I know who hike, who camp, who have mothers, who are imperfectly trying to make their way through the world, who have made mistakes, who have thrown themselves into life, and who are absolutely fucking magnificent. This was an incredibly and beautifully powerful book, earning every bit of praise it has been given. I say this knowing full well that there are people out there who vehemently disagree with me.I have read a few reviews […]
Reese Witherspoon is a good actor.
As an extra for the movie version of this book, I was in a scene in a post office where Strayed had been expecting a package and it wasn’t there. My off camera position to wait for the next take happened to be exactly where Witherspoon walked to when she made her exit. She seemed so angry, it was frightening to have her coming right towards me. She knows what she’s doing, that’s for sure.
WILD
Cheryl Strayed was 22-years-old when her mother died at the age of 45. Strayed fell into a downward spiral that led to a divorce and a casual relationship with heroin. During that time she got the crazy idea to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (1,100 miles) alone. She is wildly unprepared for the journey: she has no prior backpacking experience and, despite endless research, she skips things like going on a dry run with her pack. “I was amazed that what I needed to survive […]