Wild

Cheryl Strayed does not need my help to sell her book, WILD. She has Vogue,  Reese Witherspoon and the New York Times all doing that very well without me, but I want to help anyway. That's the effect Cheryl has on people - she brings out the best. I was lucky enough to meet Cheryl in 2006, right when her first book, TORCH came out. I met her at a "salon" - an in-home reading, then shortly after that I hosted her at my house for a salon where the topic was mother loss.  I will never forget my very very first exchange with Cheryl - she came up to me and said, "Hi, I'm Cheryl." Might not sound memorable (or original), but it was. She was approachable, accessible, human, warm, kind and very very likable. She had just had her second baby and I wondered how on earth she was managing a book tour with two tiny children.

Cheryl and I struck up a friendship and enjoyed several more evenings out together talking about family, our very different histories, writing and life. The last time I saw Cheryl socially, she had written half of WILD and was about to go lock herself away in a cabin to crank out the other half.

I was lucky enough to read an advanced reader's copy of WILD several months ago. I loved it. It made it extra special because I knew the woman telling the story, but I was learning about a huge chapter of her her life I knew nothing about. I can honestly say, I couldn't have survived a day doing what she did for 100.

The physical challenges of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail alone are impressive, but what was even more so, was the psychological transformation Cheryl underwent, and beautifully captures in this book. To know Cheryl is a privilege - by reading WILD, you will experience that privilege.

To buy your copy of WILD, click here.