Wild Words Newsletter
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At 22 years old, Cheryl Strayed found herself utterly lost. Reeling from the devastating loss of her mother to cancer, followed by the crumbling of her young marriage, she made an impulsive decision to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State - alone. 'Wild' is Strayed's raw and poignant memoir of that 1,100-mile journey, an odyssey that would test her limits and ultimately heal her shattered soul. As she battles rattlesnakes, black bears, and severe weather, Strayed also encounters strange kindnesses from strangers and comes to terms with her personal demons of grief, regret, and fractured identity. This is a powerful story of resilience, forgiveness, and finding oneself through nature's rugged beauty.
Cheryl Strayed is the acclaimed author of the novel 'Torch' and the essay collection 'Tiny Beautiful Things'. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post Magazine, The New York Times, and The Missouri Review, among other publications. 'Wild' was adapted into a 2014 film starring Reese Witherspoon, who earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Strayed. Strayed holds an MFA from Syracuse University and lives in Portland, Oregon.