in the stacks | nonfiction reads

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Short synopsis
Cheryl Strayed's memoir of walking 100 days on the Pacific Coast Trail is a story of self-redemption and renewal. After experiencing the untimely death of her Mom in her early 20s, she loses sight of who she thought she was and indulges in heroine and extramarital affairs. She decides to hike the PCT without any knowledge of what she's doing or equipment she needs after signing divorce papers from a man she still loves dearly.

Quote 
"Uncertain as I was as I pushed forward, I felt right in my pushing, as if the effort itself meant something. That perhaps being amidst the undesecrated beauty of the wilderness meant I too could be undesecrated, regardless of the regrettable things I'd done to others or myself or the regrettable things that had been done to me. Of all the things I'd been skeptical about, I didn't feel skeptical about this: the wilderness had a clarity that included me.”

3-sentence review
The exposition reads as self-indulgent, as though Strayed needs validation and understanding from her readers. Somewhere around page 60 or so she loses that self-consciousness and writes like it doesn't matter, and that's when the book becomes a poignant, intense journey that's as much about you, the reader, as it is about Cheryl. Wild is beautiful, heartbreaking, heartwarming, and makes me want to pack a bag and hit the Appalachian or PCT alone for long enough that I can't tell the difference between the fresh air and my breath.

NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman

Short synopsis 
"NurtureShock" is a collection of essays debunking popular myths about children and teens from researchers and writers Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. Chapter/essay titles include, "Why Kids Lie," "The Sibling Effect," "The Science of Teen Rebellion," and "Why White Parents Don't Talk About Race." The authors compare research, studies, and results to offer new perspectives on parenting.

Quote 
"'Nurture shock' refers to the panic that the mythical fountain of knowledge is not magically kicking in at all."

3-sentence review 
NurtureShock isn't just a book about child rearing, it's a book that explores why we as children and teens did what we did, how we learned our behaviors, and how we can change them. The first chapter is on intelligence, and how kids who are told they are "smart" don't often try as hard or work as hard as kids who are told they showed "effort." It resonated with me, and I found myself analyzing my own behaviors. If I ever have kids, I'll read and re-read this book.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Short synopsis
Chris McCandless, also known as Alex Supertramp, graduates from college, sells all of his possessions, abandons his car, and lives as a hobo and tramp. He wanders into the Alaskan wild, determined to experience life stripped down to its most basic, raw components and never returns. His body is found frozen in an abandoned bus with journals and pictures from his long journey.

Quote 
"The core of mans' spirit comes from new experiences."

"I now walk into the wild."

3-sentence review 
In Jon Krakauer's introduction to the book, he says that some people think Chris McCandless was a foolhardy idiot who wandered unprepared into Alaska's wilderness, and others think he's a brave seeker and explorer who tried to fulfill his dreams. He asks the reader to decide for yourself. Chris McCandless was a seeker, a searcher, an incredibly intelligent man whose heart was light and dark, at once, and one whose story will forever keep me searching for a little piece of wilderness and solitude of my own.