56 pages • 1 hour read
Cheryl StrayedA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying (1930) is a Southern Gothic novel that Cheryl reads on the PCT. The book resonates with Cheryl because it addresses the death of a matriarch and the quest of her poor, rural family to bury her in her hometown.
A corvid is a passerine bird, such as a crow, raven, or magpie, that belongs to the Corvidae family. According to a woman Cheryl meets in Reno, the corvid feather Doug gave her symbolizes the void, specifically, the place where things are born. Thus, the feather is not just a good luck charm but also an allusion to Cheryl’s rebirth on the PCT as the person she was before her mother’s death.
The Dream of a Common Language (1978) is a collection of poems by Adrienne Rich, a feminist and award-winning American poet. The book is divided into three sections: “Power,” “Twenty-One Love Poems,” and “Not Somewhere Else, But Here.” Cheryl reads “Power” on the PCT, drawing inspiration from the Rich’s descriptions of accomplished women.
By Cheryl Strayed
Action & Adventure
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Community Reads
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Earth Day
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Fear
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Forgiveness
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Grief
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Hate & Anger
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Inspiring Biographies
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Memoir
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Memory
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Mothers
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Oprah's Book Club Picks
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Popular Book Club Picks
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Pride & Shame
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Required Reading Lists
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Safety & Danger
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Science & Nature
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Valentine's Day Reads: The Theme of Love
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