Cheryl Strayed
A writer who transformed her own raw, personal grief and a grueling hike into a universal story of healing that inspired millions.
Born 1968 (age 58)·American writer·Birthday: September 17·Generation X
Biography
Cheryl Strayed's life and work are a testament to the transformative power of walking straight into the heart of your own pain. After her mother's sudden death sent her into a tailspin of heroin use and the collapse of her marriage, she made a drastic, seemingly irrational decision at 26: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail alone, with no experience. That journey became the backbone of 'Wild,' a memoir that stripped bare her mistakes and her courage with unflinching honesty. The book's staggering success, and the subsequent film starring Reese Witherspoon, resonated because it wasn't a tale of epic adventure, but one of internal reckoning. Strayed had previously honed her voice as the anonymous, radically empathetic advice columnist 'Dear Sugar,' later collected in 'Tiny Beautiful Things.' Whether in memoir or advice, her writing operates from a core belief that truth-telling—no matter how messy—is the only path to forging a life of meaning.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Cheryl was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cheryl Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Cheryl's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Her memoir 'Wild' was a #1 New York Times bestseller and adapted into an Oscar-nominated film.
- Her advice column 'Dear Sugar,' originally on The Rumpus, was syndicated and collected into the bestselling book 'Tiny Beautiful Things'.
- Co-hosted the popular podcast 'Dear Sugars' with Steve Almond.
- Her books 'Wild' and 'Tiny Beautiful Things' have been selected for Oprah's Book Club.
Did You Know?
She chose the surname 'Strayed' herself after her divorce, as a metaphor for her life's path.
She hiked over 1,000 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail carrying a backpack she nicknamed 'Monster.'
She wrote the 'Dear Sugar' column anonymously for two years before revealing her identity.
She is a vocal advocate for the National Endowment for the Arts and public radio.
“The thing about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, the thing that was so profound to me, was how few choices I had.”
