Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Over the past week, I have been reading the book, Wild by Cheryl Strayed. The book is about the author and her journey walking on the PCT, Pacific Crest Trail. It is a very inspirational filled with the details of not only Cheryl's life on the trail, but also her life before the trail and what started her enthusiasm and perseverance to do such a strenuous activity. The book has also been converted into a movie, but in my opinion the book was so much better. Cheryl really engaged her readers and made it seem as if the trail was not only the greatest thing she's accomplished, but that it was the hardest thing that she's accomplished. Even though I am only a quarter of the way into the book, I can already tell that the theme that Cheryl wants us to take away from the book is not to base your whole life on your past.

Throughout the book, we learn about the past experiences that Cheryl had to endure. From cheating on her husband several times, we find out that her relationship was ruined, however both her and her ex-husband still remain friends. One thing that stood out to me was that Cheryl was pretty much an ex-heroin addict. She went from trying it once in a small apartment in Portland, Oregon, to doing it everyday, in the span of two months. As we all know it is very hard to get rid of the influence and addictions that revolve around heroin, however she did. You would never picture an ex-heroin addict hiking the PCT, could you? Well, she did. It just shows that you shouldn't judge or base your whole life around what you've done or achieved in your past. You should live in the present and make choices around that lifetime.

Overall, Cheryl's book was very inspirational. It taught me that there are many things in my life that I shouldn't worry about in the future. Because they won't get me anyway, only my motivation will. Wild was a very charismatic book, which gave me insight into what the lives of young, poor adults is like for some people in the US. I would read this book over and over. In the book, nothing really happens, but what makes it so special is the constant threat that something is going to go wrong in Cheryl's path, however nothing really seems to.