Wild
By: Cheryl Strayed
Learning/ Experience
One of the main reasons I picked up the book, Wild, was because I hope to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) myself one day. Throughout the book I was searching for advice that the author might give based off of her own experiences. For example, what guide books she used, where they helpful?, would she use them again or look into other resources as well? Additionally, I was interested to see how solo backpacking for three months affected her overall physical and mental health. Would it have positive or negative effects? or both?! As it turns out, Mrs. Strayed's adventures on the PCT helped her to heal the wounds from her past and permitted her to start living a full and vibrant life.
A Walk in the Woods
By: Bill Bryson
Characterization
Bill Bryson takes on a comically witty outlook throughout his travels on the Appalachian Trail while also maintaining a level of clarity and depth. For example,
“I know a man who drives 600 yards to work. I know a woman who gets in her car to go a quarter of a mile to a college gymnasium to walk on a treadmill, then complains passionately about the difficulty of finding a parking space. When I asked her once why she didn't walk to the gym and do five minutes less on the treadmill, she looked at me as if I were being willfully provocative. 'Because I have a program for the treadmill,' she explained. 'It records my distance and speed, and I can adjust it for degree of difficulty.' It hadn't occurred to me how thoughtlessly deficient nature is in this regard.”
Bryson and his buddy Katz maintain their dry humor which keeps the reader entertained until the very last page.
Pink Boots & A Machete
By: Mireya Mayor
Detail/ Tone
By society's standards, Mireya Mayor has completely turned her life around, changing her career from a professional cheer leader to a reporter for National Geographic! Her description of her new world as a National Geographic explorer makes you feel like you're in the jungle of Madagascar with her! Her detailed accounts of day-to-day life in the secluded jungle leave the often lead the reader on edge and wanting to know what happens next. Pink Boots is an uplifting book and leaves the reader feeling slightly more courageous and capable by the end.
