Wild is a transformative reading experience, perfect to read on your holidays or experience as an audiobook while hiking through the wilderness.
Last summer, I listened to the Wild audiobook. A 13-hour listening experience, this book will carry your through at least a week of activities, whether they be mundane or in the wilderness.
It was one of the many books on my radar (the list is, as ever, endless), and while I usually prefer physically reading books as opposed to listening to them, I sometimes choose to experience autobiographies or non-fiction in audio format, allowing the knowledge to sink in while I immerse myself in other activities like cleaning, running, biking, traveling, garden work, or hiking.
(Last year was a particularly active time for me, and I also got through To Kill a Mockingbird, Amy Poehler and Mindy Kaling’s autobiographies, and the months-long A Short History of Nearly Everything this way. Ask me anything, as I now have all the answers.)
Rarely have I been so affected by a non-fiction book as I was by Cheryl Strayed’s Wild. And, although I’m sure reading it has a similar effect, a lot of my strong emotion about this book comes because I ended up listening to it in its ‘natural habitat.’
I originally just wanted to read it so I could watch the Reese Witherspoon movie (which I still haven’t seen, ironically). I had a free audiobook voucher so I got it as something to listen to when I went running. And, completely by accident, I discovered that my preferred route — an abandoned green trail by a river, in the stuffy August heat under a clear blue sky — was the perfect backdrop for this woman’s personal, gut-wrenching story.
Related: Reese Witherspoon reveals the sexist line that’ll make her turn down a movie
Cheryl Strayed’s world fell apart when her mother died of cancer. Strayed was 22 years old, married, in college, and on track to a perfectly normal and happy life. But she fell apart, and so did her marriage. She started taking drugs and got into a series of bad relationships. And then she went hiking.
Strayed decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail on her own, completely unprepared, and overwhelmed by the sheer grit and daring needed for a woman to complete such a dangerous journey on her own. (Unfortunately, the sexist idea that women can’t handle doing something independently is still alive and well — and fortunately, Cheryl Strayed book destroys any illusion that this is the case.)
What followed was a long journey of self-discovery as she battled the wilderness, and herself, realizing as she went that she was strong enough to do this. Yes she was a woman, yes she was broken and lost, and yes she was scared and unprepared. But she did it anyway.
On her journey, she kept meeting people who told her she couldn’t do it. Some were kind, and offered to help. One of the most important things she learned was to say yes to that help when she needed it — something we could all aspire to be better at.
I would find myself openly crying while chopping wood or walking around in the middle of nowhere, or whatever the hell I do with my time when I’m not having a staring match with my computer screen. I’m not affected by things easily, but she was right there, in my ears, laying her life bare for me. I was there, living an oddly parallel life, lost in my own wilderness and unsure if I would ever find the way out (and sometimes I’m still not).
Whether she was staring down a bear or sitting outside the store without money or shoes or musing about her ever-growing leg hair, I was there, I was her and she was me and — okay, this is starting to sound nuts, but it was just a really profound experience.
Whether you settle in by the pool or in your favorite arm chair, or if you take this book on the road like I did, Wild is perfect for the summer season. It’s especially helpful if you don’t have any exciting summer plans of your own, as Wild will transport you do the Pacific Crest Trail, giving you such detailed, vivid memories you’ll feel like you walked it yourself.
You might not feel like you have a lot in common with Cheryl Strayed (I definitely didn’t), but the further you get into the book, the more you’ll realize that it’s not about the details. It’s about the journey.
And it might just inspire you to go on a journey of your own. As Strayed herself writes, “I didn’t know where I was going until I got there.”
What are some of your favorite ways to mentally escape during the summer holidays?
Thanks to The Broadcast podcast for reminding me of my love for Wild! (That’s another fun listening experience, if you’re into awesome female-led podcasts.)
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