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Wander: A Memoir of Letting Go by Ryan Benz Review: A Grounded Appalachian Trail Memoir of Reinvention
Ryan Benz's Wander: A Memoir of Letting Go is a B.R.A.G. Medallion Award-winning memoir in which Benz chronicles his decision to abandon a hollow but outwardly successful life and walk over two thousand miles along the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. It is a searching account of physical endurance and self-discovery, written for readers who feel the pull of a different, more deliberate way of living.
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Best for
Readers in their thirties or forties who feel the gap between outward achievement and inner fulfillment, are drawn to the Appalachian Trail as a setting, and came to the memoir genre through books like Wild or Eat, Pray, Love.
Worth it if
You're at a genuine crossroads between a "successful" life and a meaningful one, and you want both a vivid account of a 2,000-mile solo trek and a meditative invitation to interrogate your own path.
Skip if
You prefer memoirs shaped by sharp literary craft, narrative distance, or a wide social and environmental canvas — this book's sustained first-person introspection and familiar transformation arc (outward success, inner emptiness, wilderness revelation) are features of its design, not departures from it.
What readers & critics say
Independent Book Review positioned Wander alongside celebrated adventure memoirs like Wild and Eat, Pray, Love, noting that its life lessons and self-transformation encourage readers to take time to wander in their own way. Retailer and editorial descriptions across multiple sources — including booksamillion.com and bookshop.org — consistently characterize the memoir as "raw and authentic" and an "encouraging read for the dreamer in each of us," with bookshop.org also confirming its B.R.A.G. Medallion Award winner status.
Sources: Independent Book Review, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org4.6from 1,279 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
In This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Actually Is
- Its Place in the Genre
- Strengths: Rawness and Dual Function
- Limitations and Reader Fit
- Who Should Read It
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- B.R.A.G. Medallion Award winner, recognizing quality among independently published titles
- Described as raw and authentic in tone, grounding its transformation arc in a specific and credible personal crisis
- Operates on two levels simultaneously — as a personal memoir and as a broader invitation to readers to examine their own paths
- Positioned by Independent Book Review alongside celebrated adventure memoirs like Wild and Eat, Pray, Love, signaling strong genre company
- The Appalachian Trail framework (Georgia to Maine, 2,000+ miles) gives the self-discovery narrative a concrete, sustained structure
What Doesn't
- The transformation arc — outward success, inner emptiness, wilderness revelation — is a well-established genre template; readers seeking a more unconventional shape may find the trajectory familiar
- The book's introspective, first-person focus is narrow by design, which may not satisfy readers who prefer memoirs with broader social, environmental, or ensemble dimensions
A B.R.A.G. Medallion Award winner, Wander is a memoir—not a novel—rooted in one man's actual journey on foot from Georgia to Maine, and it earns its place in the tradition of Appalachian Trail literature through candor rather than spectacle.
What the Book Actually Is
Back cover with synopsis, memoir description, black-and-white photograph, and barcode.
By his early thirties, Ryan Benz had assembled the markers of a conventional success story, yet found himself, as the record states, empty, exhausted, and dissatisfied. Wander is the account of what he chose to do about it: leave that life behind and walk more than two thousand miles along the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine. Published in September 2023 by Permission to Dream Publishing, the memoir traces both the physical demands of that journey and the interior reckoning it produced. Benz frames the trek not as an escape but as a return — with each mile traveled, he writes, he moved closer to what he describes as his true self. The book covers the nature of adventure, self-discovery, and the question of what it means to follow one's heart.
Its Place in the Genre
The memoir sits squarely within the tradition of solo-trek transformation narratives — a genre that includes widely read titles such as Wild and Eat, Pray, Love. Independent Book Review drew that comparison explicitly, positioning Wander as a title for readers drawn to adventure memoirs with a strong introspective current. What distinguishes it within that company is its specific Appalachian Trail setting and its sustained focus on purpose, authenticity, and intentionality — themes that give the book a more meditative quality than a pure physical-challenge narrative. The B.R.A.G. Medallion, awarded to independently published books that meet the organization's quality standard, marks it as a recognized title in the self-published and small-press space.
Strengths: Rawness and Dual Function
The book's most noted quality, across multiple retailer and editorial descriptions, is its tone: the memoir is characterized as raw and authentic. Benz does not present the Appalachian Trail as a triumphant adventure so much as a vehicle for hard questions about meaning and identity — questions rooted in a specific, credible mid-life dissonance that many readers will recognize. Beyond the personal narrative, the book is designed to do something additional: as the publisher's synopsis puts it, while telling one man's quest for meaning, Wander also serves as a roadmap, inviting readers to examine the potential within themselves and choose the path truest to their own being. That dual register — confessional memoir and broader inspiration — is a genuine structural strength, and it is what Independent Book Review called an encouraging read for the dreamer in each of us.
Limitations and Reader Fit
The very qualities that give Wander its appeal also define its boundaries. Readers who prefer memoirs built around sharp literary craft, narrative distance, or a wide cast of characters may find the book's first-person introspective focus narrow by design. The memoir is explicitly written for those who dream of leaving conventional life behind; readers firmly satisfied with that life, or who come to the genre seeking sociological or environmental breadth over personal transformation, are not the primary audience. Some readers may also note that the transformation arc — successful life feels hollow, wilderness journey restores meaning — is a familiar one in this genre. Whether Benz's specific voice and trail experience distinguish it sufficiently from comparable titles is a question individual readers will weigh for themselves.
Who Should Read It
Wander is designed for readers who feel the tension between external achievement and internal fulfillment — what the book frames as the gap between a "successful" life and a meaningful one. It will resonate particularly with those at a crossroads, those drawn to the Appalachian Trail as a setting, and those who found their way into the genre through titles like Wild. As a meditation on purpose, authenticity, and intentionality, it also suits readers interested in the philosophy of deliberate living, not just the physical logistics of long-distance hiking. For that audience, the memoir offers both a vivid account of one specific journey and an invitation to interrogate their own.
Frequently Asked Questions
is Wander: A Memoir of Letting go by Ryan Benz worth reading
If you feel the tension between external achievement and internal fulfillment, it's very likely worth your time. The review highlights its raw, authentic tone and a dual structure that works both as confessional memoir and broader inspiration — what Independent Book Review called "an encouraging read for the dreamer in each of us." It's a B.R.A.G. Medallion Award winner, marking it as a recognized title in the independent publishing space.
What is this book actually about
It's the true story of Ryan Benz walking more than two thousand miles along the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine after leaving behind a life that felt, as the review puts it, empty, exhausted, and dissatisfied despite looking conventionally successful. Benz frames the trek not as an escape but as a return — with each mile traveled, he writes, he moved closer to what he describes as his true self. Beyond the physical journey, the book explores purpose, authenticity, and intentionality, making it as much a meditation on deliberate living as a trail narrative.
Is this book similar to Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Yes, and that comparison is made explicitly — Independent Book Review positioned Wander alongside Wild and Eat, Pray, Love as a title for readers drawn to adventure memoirs with a strong introspective current. What sets Wander apart within that company is its specific Appalachian Trail setting and a more sustained focus on purpose and intentionality, giving it a more meditative quality than a pure physical-challenge narrative. If you loved Wild, Wander is a natural next read, though the review notes the transformation arc — hollow successful life, wilderness journey restores meaning — is a familiar one in the genre.
Is this book good if you're going through a midlife crisis or at a crossroads
It's one of the better fits for exactly that situation. The review notes the book is rooted in a specific, credible mid-life dissonance that many readers will recognize, and it's designed to resonate particularly with those at a crossroads. The publisher's own framing positions it as a roadmap, inviting readers to examine the potential within themselves and choose the path truest to their own being.
Does this book have good writing or is it more of a self-help vibe
It leans more toward confessional memoir than self-help, but the review is honest that readers who prefer sharp literary craft, narrative distance, or a wide cast of characters may find the first-person introspective focus narrow by design. The tone is consistently described as raw and authentic rather than polished or literary. It earns its place, the review says, through candor rather than spectacle — so go in expecting emotional honesty over elegant prose.
Who should NOT read this book
The review is upfront about the book's limits: readers firmly satisfied with conventional life, or those coming to the genre seeking sociological or environmental breadth over personal transformation, are not the primary audience. It's also not the best pick if you want a wide cast of characters or a memoir built around literary craft and narrative distance. And if the solo-trek transformation arc feels overly familiar to you, the review flags that whether Benz's specific voice distinguishes it sufficiently from comparable titles is a question individual readers will weigh for themselves.
Is this book just about hiking or does it go deeper
It's much more than a hiking book — the Appalachian Trail is the vehicle, but the real subject is the hard questions about meaning and identity that the journey forces Benz to confront. The review notes the book suits readers interested in the philosophy of deliberate living, not just the physical logistics of long-distance hiking. Think of it as a meditation on what it means to follow one's heart, set against the backdrop of a two-thousand-mile walk from Georgia to Maine.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
- 1
- Further reading
- 2
booksamillion.com
- 3
independentbookreview.com
- 4
- 5
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