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Wild by Cheryl Strayed - A 30-minute Chapter-by-Chapter Summary
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This is an InstaRead Summary of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed.
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Prologue
The year is 1995. Cheryl, the narrator and author of the story, explains that she was 26 years old when at the lowest point of her life she began her solo trek on the Pacific Crest Trail. She describes the trail as being 2,663 miles long and two feet wide, stretching from Mexico to Canada and including nine mountain ranges. She has embarked on her journey just 38 days before in an effort to find herself. As she stops to rest at the peak of a mountain, one of her hiking boots tumbles away down the mountain and into some trees far below. Realizing the other is of no use to her anymore, she tosses it out into the trees as well. She reflects on her situation and decides that though she is alone, battered and bruised, shoeless, and at least days from the next supply stop, she must walk on.
Part One: The Ten Thousand Things
Chapter One: The Ten Thousand Things
Cheryl reflects on when her journey actually began and decides that it truly began a over four years ago, on the day that she had learned her forty-five year-old mother was going to die of advanced stage lung cancer. She recalls being at the Mayo clinic with her mother and stepfather on the day of the diagnosis and cursing the smaller town doctors that had given the same diagnosis in the weeks leading up to the visit to Mayo. She had wanted them to be wrong. Angry at her absent older sister and younger brother, and refusing to believe that her extremely health-conscious, non-smoking mother could possibly have cancer, she argues with the doctor, then crumbles at the news that her mother has a year, at most, to live. She describes the deep love and devotion of her mother to her and her two siblings. Pregnant at nineteen, her mother had married her father only to find out within three short days that he was brutal and abusive. Her mother left him several times, but not permanently until she was twenty-eight years old. A single mother of three, her mother worked all the time, but never seemed to get ahead. She sugar-coated poverty for her children, making games out of their plight and dating an interesting slew of men. Her mother finally met Eddie, a man eight years her junior, and he married her and took on the roles of husband and father with ease. After a disabling accident and settlement, the couple bought forty acres of land an hour and half from Duluth, Minnesota...
This is an InstaRead Summary of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed.
Below is a preview of the earlier sections of the summary:
Prologue
The year is 1995. Cheryl, the narrator and author of the story, explains that she was 26 years old when at the lowest point of her life she began her solo trek on the Pacific Crest Trail. She describes the trail as being 2,663 miles long and two feet wide, stretching from Mexico to Canada and including nine mountain ranges. She has embarked on her journey just 38 days before in an effort to find herself. As she stops to rest at the peak of a mountain, one of her hiking boots tumbles away down the mountain and into some trees far below. Realizing the other is of no use to her anymore, she tosses it out into the trees as well. She reflects on her situation and decides that though she is alone, battered and bruised, shoeless, and at least days from the next supply stop, she must walk on.
Part One: The Ten Thousand Things
Chapter One: The Ten Thousand Things
Cheryl reflects on when her journey actually began and decides that it truly began a over four years ago, on the day that she had learned her forty-five year-old mother was going to die of advanced stage lung cancer. She recalls being at the Mayo clinic with her mother and stepfather on the day of the diagnosis and cursing the smaller town doctors that had given the same diagnosis in the weeks leading up to the visit to Mayo. She had wanted them to be wrong. Angry at her absent older sister and younger brother, and refusing to believe that her extremely health-conscious, non-smoking mother could possibly have cancer, she argues with the doctor, then crumbles at the news that her mother has a year, at most, to live. She describes the deep love and devotion of her mother to her and her two siblings. Pregnant at nineteen, her mother had married her father only to find out within three short days that he was brutal and abusive. Her mother left him several times, but not permanently until she was twenty-eight years old. A single mother of three, her mother worked all the time, but never seemed to get ahead. She sugar-coated poverty for her children, making games out of their plight and dating an interesting slew of men. Her mother finally met Eddie, a man eight years her junior, and he married her and took on the roles of husband and father with ease. After a disabling accident and settlement, the couple bought forty acres of land an hour and half from Duluth, Minnesota...
- GenresBook Club
61 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 21, 2014
11 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 6, 2015
An extremely well-written memoir of a brave woman's journey to find herself. I identified with Cheryl so much because my father died when I was 20 and her book made me want to write abut my experiences at that time.
Cheryl's descriptions of the PCT and her incredibly courageous journey of endurance and sheer grit along it, stirred something in me.
I can't wait to see the movie now to see if it measures up.
Cheryl's descriptions of the PCT and her incredibly courageous journey of endurance and sheer grit along it, stirred something in me.
I can't wait to see the movie now to see if it measures up.
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July 21, 2020loved it, empowering, enlightening
July 19, 2015
I was hearing about this book a lot and so finally decided to give it a try last month. I was not disappointed as the story is rich with the resilience of a person who continually does things wrong yet her forgive to herself and others is boundless. There are so many lessons to be learned here about being brave, forgiving, courageous, letting go and being in the moment.
I kind of liked how 'messy' it was and every single tale didnt end up in a very clear or improved outcome. The hike to me truly represented the hardships we face but you must continue moving forward otherwise the alternative is to waste away in oblivion. People will care but life goes on all over the planet. For example the guy who kept calling her a hobo and gave her the survival pack with a cigarette.
I believe that nature and focus on basic needs like being dry can bring so many overwhleming things into perspective. Being warm when its cold, having the proper shoes, or incredibly large pack that even the men wanted no part of. lol
I like when she talks about something as simple as just wanting to be inside when it was raining or the fact that she saw people in close proximity yet she hadnt bathed in 3 days.
It was a page turner in the sense you never knew what was going to happen. You kind of know how it ends but its about the journey to get there.
I kind of liked how 'messy' it was and every single tale didnt end up in a very clear or improved outcome. The hike to me truly represented the hardships we face but you must continue moving forward otherwise the alternative is to waste away in oblivion. People will care but life goes on all over the planet. For example the guy who kept calling her a hobo and gave her the survival pack with a cigarette.
I believe that nature and focus on basic needs like being dry can bring so many overwhleming things into perspective. Being warm when its cold, having the proper shoes, or incredibly large pack that even the men wanted no part of. lol
I like when she talks about something as simple as just wanting to be inside when it was raining or the fact that she saw people in close proximity yet she hadnt bathed in 3 days.
It was a page turner in the sense you never knew what was going to happen. You kind of know how it ends but its about the journey to get there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2014
I have way too much and not enough of to say of this wonderful, insightful, funny, everything book. I love the PCT as a metaphor for really a journey of healing. What a brave person, to just immerse herself in the trail, her thoughts, and personal journey. Along the way She evolves into a stronger being. I so enjoyed this book. It can speak to anyone across the lifespan. I recommend it to all! She totally did " write like a motherfucker"!!!!!!!!
February 28, 2015
I love the idea of this book: hiking the PCT, hiking as catharsis, literally walking through grief, a sort-of epic episodal wandering through one's life and trail, climbing emotional mountains, etc. I mean there are so many promising themes! But I have to say that the book doesn't live up to the promise. It's not a bad read. And it is certainly a gutsy and honest memoir. Kudos to Strayed for staying true. But I probably won't recommend it often.
June 13, 2015
Loved it. Liked Tiny Beautiful Things even better. This is written about a young woman who, upon reflection, has learned and grown and healed a great deal. Tiny Beautiful Things, on the other hand, is written by the grown up, who has seen everyone fail, including herself, who has raged and been raged at, who is empty of judgment and trying just to drag the rest of us out of the cave and into the sunlight.
May 3, 2014
When I started reading, I wasn't overly impressed with the author; she seemed terribly shallow and selfish. After the first few chapters, the hiking, the people she met, the weather...it caught me up and I found it hard to put the book down. I haven't changed my opinion of the author, but overall, I did enjoy the book.
June 3, 2014
Not for me. Too much hiking description...not enough heart and soul.
May 24, 2014
best book I have read in a long time
January 19, 2015
Every moment between these pages was an adventure, a joy, an inspiration
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February 22, 2015 I enjoyed this book!
April 23, 2015
This was a really good memoir. What a brave woman to walk the pct.
April 13, 2015
Exciting!
June 15, 2015
Interesting
June 1, 2015
What a fantastic read, such a well written descriptive story, enjoyed it thoroughly and recommend it, read it you won't be disappointed....
October 15, 2015
A fast read. What was she thinking?
November 18, 2015
I so want to hike this trail. But not in the winter.
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July 22, 2016Nice story to listen to. Not sure I really wanna see the movie now tho. Good time filler.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews