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Cheryl Strayed, author portrait
Photo:Larry D. Moore·CC BY 4.0·
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Cheryl Strayed

American
Born 1968
Cheryl Strayed is an American writer and podcast host. She has written four books: the novel Torch (2006) and the nonfiction books Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (2012), Tiny Beautiful Things (2012) and Brave Enough (2015). Wild, the story of Strayed's 1995 hike up the Pacific Crest Trail, is an international bestseller and was adapted into the 2014 Academy Award-nominated film Wild.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed Wild.
1
Books Reviewed

In Cheryl Strayed's own words

Author Cheryl Strayed discusses her memoir Wild, exploring the interplay between physical exertion and emotional healing.

Uploaded by Bill Kenower, 2012 · Watch on YouTube ·

Maintaining a relationship after death

Strayed explains that grief differs from a romantic breakup because moving forward requires learning how to sustain a continued relationship with someone who is no longer physically present.

Writing as an exercise in resilience

Strayed says that writing has taught her resilience, which means committing to a long-term vision and showing up to the work every day regardless of success or failure.

Also in this interview

On Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest

In order

Cheryl Strayed books in order

3 books; 1 reviewed on LuvemBooks. Dates and covers from Amazon.

  1. Torch cover
    2006
    Torch
    Amazon ↗
  2. Wild cover
    2012
    Wild
    Our review →
  3. Brave Enough cover
    2015
    Brave Enough
    Amazon ↗
Cover of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest

4.5/5

reader rating · 31 ratings

Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail recounts her 1,100-mile solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995 — a journey undertaken at age 26, with no prior hiking experience, as an act of self-rescue after her mother's death, the collapse of her marriage, and a descent into heroin use. It reached No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list, was the inaugural selection for Oprah's Book Club 2.0, and spent 52 weeks on the NPR Hardcover Nonfiction Bestseller List — a record of cultural impact matched by its literary reputation.

Reviewed Jun 16, 2026

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Authors Like Cheryl Strayed
S

Sophie Matterson

Travel & Adventure
Memoir
Biography & Memoir
Sophie Matterson's The Crossing shares the same raw honesty, following a woman on a solo, grueling physical trek to rebuild herself and outrun grief.
1 book reviewed
The Crossing
Jeannette Walls

Jeannette Walls

Memoir
Biography & Memoir
Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle matches Strayed's high emotional stakes, shifting from an internal journey to fast-paced, event-driven survival storytelling.
1 book reviewed
The Glass Castle
L

Lara Love Hardin

Memoir
Biography & Memoir
Lara Love Hardin's The Many Lives of Mama Love shares Cheryl Strayed's refusal to sanitize the wreckage of addiction, fractured family, and hard-won self-reconstruction.
1 book reviewed
The Many Lives of Mama Love
Louis L'Amour

Louis L'Amour

Memoir
Biography & Memoir
Travel & Adventure
Louis L'Amour's Education of a Wandering Man explores wandering years that mirror Cheryl Strayed's solo trek, examining physical hardship as the engine of self-reinvention.
1 book reviewed
Education of a Wandering Man
J

Jennifer Baggett

Travel & Adventure
Memoir
Biography & Memoir
Jennifer Baggett's The Lost Girls also follows women using physical journeys to answer urgent personal questions, trading solo travel for an adventure with friends.
1 book reviewed
The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around
R

Rachel Friedman

Travel & Adventure
Memoir
Biography & Memoir
Rachel Friedman’s The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost similarly uses a travel journey as a vehicle for reinvention, navigating the path toward a new self.
1 book reviewed
The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost