Sunday, February 3, 2013

Wild - Cheryl Strayed

subtitle: From lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail

This book was recommended to me by my BF's Mom, a hiker and explorer. It's the story of a 20 something woman who decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail that runs from the border in Mexico to the border in Canada.  Although she only hikes from outside of Tehachapi (the place with all the wind generators) to Oregon, skipping a chunk of the Sierra Nevada mountains because of snow.

I think memoirs like this are supposed to be inspiring.  The girl has been in self-destruct mode since the early passing of her mother from lung cancer.  She bounces from one poor decision to another before tackling the trail with inadequate preparation.  I guess I was annoyed that stories of what amounts to "dumb luck" are lauded (the book was an Oprah pick) and the really courageous achievements of others who were better prepared are not.

The author did provide me with a peek into the experiences of a generation that came after me.  Her casual attitude towards sex and drugs was described in a way that seemed to say this was the norm for her and her peers.  There never seems to be an acknowledgment of what poor choices she was making.  While she seems to settle her feelings toward her mother, she makes no judgment of herself.  She was lucky to make it to write the book.

Published: 2012  Read: January 2013  Genre: Memoir

No comments:

Post a Comment

Post your comments here, would love to hear what you think