Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
This book caught my attention from the first time I had heard about it.  I've always loved journey stories, and I thought this one incredible.  Cheryl Strayed illustrates her story flawlessly and affectedly, with anecdotes that build off of each other throughout the novel.  She introduces relatable themes through objects, making the story meaningful and easy to understand.  For example, her most prominent theme was often seen in her experience with her gigantic backpack.  When she first began her journey, the pack (representing her past) was very heavy and she could barely bear to carry it.  But as she went on, she let go of some of the items in her pack she didn't need, and she began to accept her past and learn to “carry it”.  Her experience creates a feeling of sympathy but also ambition, for it made me think about how someone with such a hard life could go on another challenging expedition and overcome it.  It also inspired me to think that  if she could walk over a thousand miles through rough terrain with a 50 pound pack, then I could do anything.  The perspective and personality of this story made it very enjoyable and worth reading with her humor and sarcastic, yet determined mindset. Strayed’s story structure was strong; every action happening in her journey reminding her of memories from her past--each with their own unique back story.  I couldn't put the book down and was always excited to learn her new adventures and she went on.  Although I could not relate to some of her experiences, she still made them easy to understand and interesting.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her inspirational expedition, and will always recommend this book for a great and uplifting adventure story.