Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Key Details
- Genre: nonfiction
- Sub-Genres: memoir
- Publication Date: 2012
- Pages: 336
- Themes: grief, healing, nature
- Accolades: #1 New York Times bestseller, Oprah’s Book Club selection, Winner of the Barnes & Noble Discover Award, Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir & Autobiography
My Rating
Wild isn’t just another story of personal healing and self-discovery. It reads more like a lyrical meditation by a poet for the benefit of all of us mere mortals struggling through life’s hardest hardships to feel seen and comforted.
It’s setting in nature adds a Thoreau-esque solemnity and peace to the journey, even in the many not-so-beautiful moments, like losing toenails and the ability to shower. Instead, they make the impossible feel possible.
It’s no wonder so many women, including Lorelai, have attempted the same adventure– a pop culture phenomenon.
Gilmore Girls Episodes
Learn where this book on the Gilmore Girls reading list was referenced:
| A Year in the Life: Summer | Lorelai goes on a hike inspired by this book. |
| A Year in the Life: Fall | Lorelai goes on a hike inspired by this book. |
Best Quote
“How wild it was, to let it be.”
Book Review
Description
In Wild, the author’s life life falls apart after her mother’s death and the collapse of her marriage. In the wake, she impulsively decides to hike over a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail alone, despite having no experience.
Along the journey, she faces physical hardship, fear, and self-doubt, but the experience ultimately helps her heal, grow stronger, and rediscover a sense of purpose.
Why It Matters on Gilmore Girls
The book perfectly connects pop culture to Lorelai’s life. Like the author, she grieves the loss of a parent in Netflix’s reboot, A Year in the Life. Since the book and movie were so popular just before the show aired, it makes sense that she would attempt the same healing process.
It also allows for some comic relief, as we fans all know that Lorelai is not the slightest bit athletic.
Lastly, it shows Lorelai’s smarts. Even though she’s an avid moviegoer, when pressed, she says she’s doing the “book” version of the hike.
Who It’s Best For
Wild works well for enthusiasts of memoirs featuring real people enduring hard real-life circumstances.
It also works well for fans of poetic writing. Strayed is both gifted and talented in conveying deep emotions through the written word.
Reading Tips
- Watch the Oscar nominated adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon (trailer below) and Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Cheryl Strayed (video below).
- Read this BuzzFeed article in which Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman Palladino and Cheryl Strayed discuss the book’s appearance on the show.
- Learn from CNN how hiking increased among women after Wild.
- Use this reader’s guide to foster thought and discussion about the book and its themes.
- See some of Cheryl Strayed’s pictures from the hike.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Lorelai Gilmore is denied entry to the Pacific Crest Trail hiked in the popular book Wild by Cheryl Strayed. However, there, she still experiences a moment that feels healing of her grief and calls Emily to tell her a loving story about the happiest moment she had with her father, Richard.
Lorelai attempts to hike the Pacific Crest Trail like the author of the book Wild, Cheryl Strayed, during the Netflix reboot of Gilmore Girls, called A Year in the Life.
Lorelai attempts to hike the Pacific Crest Trail like the author of the popular book Wild, Cheryl Strayed, because she is grieving the loss of her father, Richard, and doing so helped heal the grief of the author, who lost her mother.
Related Books to Read Next
If you liked Wild, read these books next:
- The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
- The Diary of a Young Girl by Cheryl Strayed
