Staff Pick
Aspen Matis set off on the Pacific Crest Trail at 19 to heal from her rape and the shame she felt afterward, but equally important was discovering that she wasn't the helpless child she grew up believing she was. Those who love the outdoors will enjoy experiencing the PCT through Aspen's eyes, but even if you think you've had your fill of hiking memoirs, read this one for the honesty with which the author tells her story of transformation. Recommended By Emily F., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
In 2008, Aspen Matis left behind her quaint Massachusetts town for a school two thousand miles away. Eager to escape her childhood as the sheltered baby girl of her family, Aspen wanted to reinvent herself at college. She hoped that far from home she'd meet friends who hadn't known her high school meekness; she would explore thrilling newfound freedom, blossom, and become a confident adult. But on her second night on campus, all those hopes were obliterated when Aspen was raped by a fellow student.
The academic year commenced; Aspen felt alone now, devastated. She stumbled through her first college semester. Her otherwise loving and supportive parents discouraged her from speaking of the attack; her university's "conflict mediation" process for handling sexual assaults was callous—then ineffectual. Aspen was confused, ashamed, and uncertain about how to deal with a problem that has—disturbingly—become common at institutions of higher learning throughout the country. Her desperation growing, she made a bold decision: she fled. She dropped out and sought healing in the freedom of the wild, on the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail leading from Mexico to Canada.
In this important and inspiring memoir, Aspen chronicles an ambitious five-month trek that was as dangerous as it was transformative. Forced to survive on her own for the first time, squarely facing her trauma and childhood, she came to realize that the rape was not the only shameful burden she carried with her as she walked. She found herself on a new expedition: to confront—and overcome—the confines that had bound her since long before her second night at college.
A nineteen-year-old girl alone and adrift, Aspen conquered desolate mountain passes and met rattlesnakes, bears, and fellow desert pilgrims. Among the snowcaps and the forests of America's West, she found the confidence that had eluded her all her life. After a thousand miles of solitude, she met a man who helped her learn to love, trust, and heal. Then from the endless woods she blazed a new path to the future she wanted—and reclaimed it.
What emerges is an unflinching portrait of a girl in the aftermath of rape. Told with elegance and suspense, Girl in the Woods is a beautifully rendered story of emotional and physical boundaries eroding to reveal the truths that lie beyond the edges of the map.
Review
“Beautiful and so wildly engaging.” Lena Dunham
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“Brave and poetic. Aspen Matis is one of the few genetic writers.” Ben Folds, frontman of Ben Folds Five
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“A lovely tribute to the healing power of wilderness.” Nicholas Kristof, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
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“This is a very brave bookbecause there is an open wound in Girl in the Woods, and it never really closes. It becomes a new organof doubt, questioningthat remakes both the body and the mind.” Greil Marcus, Rolling Stone rock critic and New York Times bestselling author
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“Aspen Matis reveals wisdoms that are gemsbright and inspiring. This book will astonish you.” Shelly Oria, author of New York 1, Tel Aviv 0
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“Soulful, heartfelt, and transcendent. Girl in the Woods teaches us that writing is a way to heal, empower ourselves, and turn our worst experiences into beautiful art.” Kenan Trebincevic, author of The Bosnia List
About the Author
After being raped on her second night at college, Aspen Matis dropped out of school to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Trekking off into the wilderness, Aspen left her once sheltered life behind in hopes of finding a way to heal. Through her five months of struggle, Aspen faced perilous conditions that forced her to confront her inner demons. The result was a new perspective, a new life, and a new self.
Inspired by the vast beauty and emotional turmoil surrounding her every day, Aspen published five essays in There & Back Magazine throughout her walk. After moving to New York City in search of fellow writers, Aspen published her adventure in The New York Times Modern Love column to outstanding praise.
She now lives in Greenwich Village, where she continues to tell her story.