Overall, I've enjoyed the progression of this book. The text has kept my attention as Strayed sets out on the trail and faces many obstacles, including a broken camp stove with the wrong type of fuel, injuries from falling, multiple trees over the path, an angry longhorn bull, and a 'brown' black bear sighting.
I think I was almost as excited as she was for each of the people she met out on the trail. I can't imagine how lonely it must have been for her. Under normal circumstances, going several days or a couple weeks without human interaction might not be so bad but I imagine the unfamiliar outdoor elements and physical strain would add a few degrees of intensity!
For me, the mixture of Strayed telling her story about being on the trail and the flashbacks that describe her life before deciding to hike the Pacific Crest Trail are well-balanced. I enjoy both the brief insights into her past and the action on the trail.
One of my favorite passages from part two was when Strayed talks about fear.
One thing I don't like about the book is Strayed's casual attitude about drug use. I don't mind the fact that she did drugs or that she wrote about that time of her life, I just don't care for the way she makes it seem like one day she decided "Oh, I'm going to do drugs," and then later, "That's enough, I'm done doing drugs." I know this is her story and her experience and maybe that's how using drugs was for her, but I don't think that is what most people's addiction to drugs is like. The people I've known to struggle with alcohol and drug abuse didn't have the power to start and stop so easily. I think her nonchalant attitude toward drug use downplays the severity of addiction . For me, it would have been easier to tolerate if during one of the moments that she looks back in time she emphasized how dangerous her decisions were and how fortunate she was that the outcome wasn't worse. And maybe she will. I'll wait to see!
Moving on to part three now!
Hi Ashley! I am loving Wild! I'm really enjoying how she shares about this trek as a journey in emotional health and wellness. It's interesting how she loves running into other hikers but also knows she needs and wants to be alone. That in solitude she can work through all that she knows she really needs to focus on. I also found all of her drug use pretty crazy. I wouldn't want my daughters to read this for fear they would think that they too could muddle in drug use and casual sex and not suffer severe consequences. My feet almost hurt for her the way she describes the beating her feet are taking. I've lost toenails from running long distances, but not 4 at once! A friend of mine said that Strayed's book Tiny Beautiful Things is also a great book! (She said to skip the introduction though.)
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback, Kaylee! I'm glad you're enjoying the book as well. I haven't heard anything about Tiny Beautiful Things before. I'll have to look it up.
ReplyDeleteStrayed does a pretty good job in her descriptions. I can clearly envision most of her experiences. I loved in part one how she packed the backpack all up and then couldn't budge it off the ground! Then, how she goes on to name it "Monster" is very fitting. Packing only the things needed would probably be one of the toughest parts of any backpacking experience for me! After having children, I tend to pack EVERYTHING we MIGHT need.
Hopefully I'll get some reading time in this weekend!