The Brockporter Book Of The Week - Wild by Cheryl Strayed

From Amazon web site:

At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and she would do it alone. Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

Wild works on multiple levels. First, it is the story of the hike itself and what Cheyrl encounters along the trail.  Second, Cheyrl tests herself and learns what she is capable of in terms of physical and emotional endurance. Third, it is a story of a spiritual quest in which she comes to terms with the demons of grief, addiction, and narcissism, and must create a more satisfying and fulfilling life of peace and love.

I loved this book and think it is one of the more important books I have read in the last 10 years. It is one of those books I find myself mentioning and recommending to people I care about and even buying copies and giving them away. What makes the story so interesting and inspiring is how with this self imposed purification, Cheyrl finds herself. She was lost and during this arduous, self imposed journey, finds herself.

The Brockporter Book of the week is a regular feature of the Brockporter Online News Magazine which appears most Fridays. Wild is available from the Lift Bridge Book Shop in downtown Brockport, or you can support the Brockporter by buying it through the Brockporter/ Amazon widget bellow.