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I read anything I can find written by Cheryl Strayed. Her book, Brave Enough has become a personal bible to me. Her words are wise, razor-sharp and unwavering in their blunt brutality of her matter-of-fact delivery. They were a wake up call to me. I love an author who can stir up a fight in me.

I read 'Wild' a few years ago and loved, loved, loved the hiking aspect. I really didn't care for all the drug use and infidelity. I also tried her fiction novel, 'Torch' and liked the story, but the behavior and personality of the main character about drove me crazy. I haven't heard anything about 'Brave Enough' yet, so I have no opinion on her newest work.

I liked that she was so open about her imperfections. Wild was her nonfiction account of her life. It was essentially about her "spirit walk." Not everyone is a perfect person and has flaws and demons. I loved how unapologetic she was about her drug use and promiscuity.

Torch was the fictional version of her life when she lost her mother and the effects of her mother's death on her and her family.

Brave Enough is a collection of her quotes from both books and as an advice columnist.

I just love her writing style, her ownership of her behavior and I can completely relate to her having lost my supportive parent to cancer when I was a young adult. Those who have never experienced that kind of loss at the onset of adulthood have no understanding of how it throws your life, every aspect of it, into a whirlwind. Your parents are a very big part of your identity during that time, and when you lose the supportive parent, you go into an identity crisis. You get lost. You get destructive. It's a gaping wound.

I, for one, appreciate her journey down that path. True wisdom comes from bad decisions and failure, and overcoming it. I can't sing her praises enough.

Don't miss tiny beautiful things! I think Cheryl Strayed gives some excellent and interesting advice. I don't remember if I read this or Wild first, but they are both impressive.

I haven't read Tiny Beautiful Things yet. I've read some excerpts from it and thought her advice was solid. I can't wait to read it though.