Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, Cheryl Strayed. Kindle.

Honest, gritty, moving, unapologetic.

Have you ever felt changed by a book? I don’t know if this book changed me per se, but it made me want to change. Strayed is so vulnerably honest in her telling of this story, so brave in sharing the darkest, most shameful parts of her past alongside her greatest heartbreak, that she inspired me to take more risks myself. I was surprised by her elegant prose and authentic voice, which made me want to do my version of donning an 80 pound pack and hiking a 2,000 mile trail: write.

If Strayed could share her extramarital dalliances and experimentation with heroine with millions of strangers, I could share beyond my usual comfort zone, posting this blog regardless of whether anyone will read it. If Strayed could set out on a three-month trek with no real training and even less money to her name, I could find the time to continue the book that’s waiting for me on my laptop.

Strayed transitions seamlessly from the trail to her past: one minute I was with her on her quest to find a water source, the next I was weeping along to her account of her last conversation with her mother. She would make me feel safe and then rip the floor out from under me—an eloquent reminder of the unpredictability of life.

I was particularly inspired by Strayed’s account of choosing her own last name—one with several meanings that resonated with her at the time. She reminded me that we all have the power to choose our own paths and make a name for ourselves, so long as we repeat the mantra “I am not afraid,” and embrace the roadblocks we encounter along the way. I’m not known for being outdoorsy, but throughout this book I had to resist the urge to flee the city and live in the woods for a while. Strayed’s story will stay with me for a long time.

Favorite Quotation: “I’m a free spirit who never had the balls to be free.”