In Pack Light, Shilletha Curtis tells the story of her epic hike of the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine. I've read tales of other such hikes, but as a Black queer person, The author has a unique perspective on some of the issues she faced on the trail. And the mental health and family struggles she has faced make her accomplishment even more powerful.

I appreciated the background the author provided about her life before embarking on the hike but would have appreciated learning more about the hike itself. And as others have noted, the writing style was a bit overwrought at times, causing me to skim over some parts.

I'm glad the author shared her story, and I hope it will inspire others to undertake challenges as she did.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you need a kick in the tale to get moving and fight against whatever is your life's roadblocks, you will enjoy this read and feel motivated to stand for what you care about. Stand for yourself. Also, step forward to learn yourself.

I want to thank NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue | Andscape Books for the pre-release copy for reading and review.

#PackLight #NetGalley

I don’t want to be mean but I cannot with this book. I’m the ideal audience: mental health clinician, hiker, in a multiracial family. It has so much promise but the editors really let this author down. She got this gig after writing a Facebook rant/blog. She needs support to write a whole dang memoir. The writing was florid, verbose. It was like someone pretending to be a writer and adding all of the adjectives. The story would be interesting if the sentences weren’t so distracting. I’d love to hear this woman’s voice and experience. I want to encourage more BIPOC folks to venture onto the trails. Someone needs to sit down and cut out 85% of the embellishments and let the experience shine through.

I have read several books about hiking the Appalachian Trail, but this one is different than any I have read before. The author is packing light, but carrying a lot of other baggage, including abuse, mental illness and the fact that she is a woman of color hiking alone. I admire how she pushes through and is able find her peace in nature. A very good book and recommended for all

Can I go on the adventure now too? This one was a powerful book about how on the destination to another place, you encounter the journey. It was a wonderful read. Thank you for the opportunity to read this one.

This was a hard read for me. Hard because I wanted to put this down countless times and not finish it, but I also have seen what has happened to others who do not finish this book. So here we go, and let's hope no one comes at me for this review like they have for other people.

It is hard to critique or review memoirs because this is someone's life, their viewpoint, and life journey that is unique to only them. I cannot relate to much of this book, but I really thought that this would be an interesting read.

There was so much blame shifting instead of taking ownership for her circumstances and choices, sure you cannot choose your family, but you can create your own life and future. I didn't think this was a great read, or really that well written. It was hard to read this because it was the 'woah is me' versus actually finding herself. Sure maybe she did find herself, but this was not the way to go about that book.

I feel that the author was trying to re-create Wild, but fell significantly short.

I do however applaud Shilletha for completing the AT, as I know this is a huge success and she is only the 2nd Black woman to ever complete the trail. Seriously I know that was hard, and I give major props.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

"Pack Light: A Journey to Find Myself" is a memoir that resonates with the spirit of resilience and the quest for self-discovery. Shilletha Curtis takes us on a transformative journey along the Appalachian Trail, where each step is a testament to her courage in facing the demons of her past.

The book is a raw and honest portrayal of Curtis's life, marked by childhood traumas, a fractured family, and the challenges of mental health struggles. Yet, it is also a story of triumph, as she navigates through the wilderness not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.

Curtis's narrative is a powerful reminder that the Great Outdoors is a space for all, irrespective of race or background. Her experience of "Hiking While Black" adds a poignant layer to the memoir, challenging the stereotypes and claiming her rightful place in the narrative of exploration and adventure.

Curtis's writing is engaging, with vivid descriptions that transport us to the rugged trails and serene landscapes she describes. Curtis's introspection and growth are palpable, making "Pack Light" not just a travel memoir, but a beacon of inspiration for anyone looking to find themselves amidst life's tumultuous journey.

As a big fan of hiking and queer memoirs, this was worth the read. Curtis faced many challenges in her youth and as a young adult and this memoir dove into different moments in time during these big events. Her ability to persist and survive is admirable.
The pacing of hiking vs. earlier times in her life did at times feel out of balance. I wanted to keep reading, but at times wanted to switch back to the other narrative sooner or have more of the current narrative. Some passages on the AT felt scattered.

If Curtis indeed completes the Tripe Crown, I'm looking forward to two more memoirs.

I really enjoyed reading this book and that I got to share this journey with Shilletha Curtis. It was written perfectly and enjoyed the overall concept of getting to go on this journey overall. Shilletha Curtis has a great writing style and I enjoyed getting to learn about her in this story. It was written well and glad I was able to read this.

Pack Light is a beautifully written memoir of surviving a childhood of abuse, neglect and abandonment, mental illness with suicide attempts and hospitalizations and of deciding to take control by through hiking the Appalachian Trail in the face of fear as a solo black woman hiking through the south. This book gave me more understanding on what people of color face. I didn’t really understand it because I had not witnessed it myself even though I grew up in a diverse city in Northern California. While reading this book I realized that I had not witnessed racism because I was raised in a family where race, religion or sexual orientation is a not a consideration in who our friends are-what matters is choosing friends who are kind… to everyone. I always chose not to be friends with racists and as an adult I do not allow racists or people who are prejudice into my life. The only thing in the book that gave me pause was Ms. Curtis’ blanket statement that police murder black people. I served in law enforcement for 27 years and honestly have never seen anyone mistreated due to their skin color. I can understand her fear, but making such a blanket statement to me is a form of prejudice in itself.

Having said that, I found Pack Light to be more interesting than the typical through-hike memoir because we get to know Ms. Curtis as a person and we witness her childhood through flashbacks. I felt such anger at those two jerks in Maine, it’s was that scene that really made me “get it”.

I highly recommend #PackLight for its beautiful and eloquent writing and for Ms. Curtis’ unique way of letting us she her side of the story, from childhood to her blossoming into a strong, brave young woman. Thank you for sharing your story. Thank you to #netgalley for allowing me to read and review #PackLight.

I have always enjoyed memoirs, especially ones about the outdoors and hiking the Appalachian Trail. Stilletha had quite a lot of baggage from her upbringing that she also carried on the trail. Sadly, at times, those struggles were brought on through some poor choices. Pack Light jumped between her history growing up and her personal struggles on the trail. Overall, I enjoyed the book and seeing things from a different perspective from the normal hiking the Appalachian Trail memoir.

Great book that was fun to read. I loved reading about the authors experiences and seeing the outside world from someone else point of view.

Pack Light is the story of the author's hike on the Appalachian Trail which she completed in its entirety. It is also the story of her difficult childhood and her struggles with depression and anxiety. Her story is moving and a triumph, but I found the writing style to often be a little over the top. Given that she is not a writer by trade, this can be forgiven for the sake of the importance of her story and stories like hers. Many thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am a fan of Cheryle Strayed's "Wild"" about her experience on the Pacific Crest Trail. She is the absolute exemplery women writer of her time. Her hike through story was remarkable , independent and couragous. So I was interested to experience this book also told by the author's experiences on the AT. However this sadly did not resonate in any way.

I was disappointed in the author playing the consant victim and blaming her family, races other then hers and her own bad choices for her miserable life. This was a not a trail centered interesting read as was "Wild". Where Ms. Strayed took responsibility for herself and her own hike and funding, this author used social media and her race complaining to gain monies to fund her hike. She utilized a series of people to pay her to hike and her followers. I was not impressed that she was not independent in any way. While any hike of this nature is impressive she stopped and stayed overnight so often with people and places that funded her that she was not focused on a true hike through . Her complaining of "other races" and blaming others for her life problems was inmature, disturbing and offensive.. I could not finish this as her writing is center focused on blaming others.. I found her sad, uninteresting and her writing inmature. Every chapter is complaining about others causing her problems . So If your looking for a true AT hike book this is not it. You wold learn more about a AT hike through on Google .

I enjoyed the back-and-forth of this book - experiences along the trail mixed with events in the author's life that pushed her to move forward when she was tempted to give up. This was an interesting read and moved along quickly. I originally assumed it would be more of a travelogue, but I appreciated her introspection and her determination to inspire others as they move through their own struggles.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I sometimes find it difficult to critique memoirs. It is someone’s actual life experience that is unique to them. And in this book, I can’t say that I relate to many of the experiences she has. But that is the nice thing about memoirs, getting to see things through someone else’s eyes. Getting to see the trials they go through.

Living in East TN near GSMNP, this story immediately appealed to me. The AT is very well known here and what an accomplishment it would be to thru-hike it! Shilletha is a strong woman to take that on solo.

Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the opportunity to read and review this book.

If you think Cheryl Strayed gave us insight inPo how we live, this book doeso n better job. I highly recommend this sone.

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

"But speed had no effect on my morale; I knew every hundred miles would yield surprises waiting for me. The trail always provided. For myself, I knew I would get to wherever it was when I would. I had everywhere to go and nowhere to be." (loc. 827*)

Burned out professionally and struggling personally, Curtis set herself a new challenge—to hike the Appalachian Trail, Georgia to Maine. She knew what it took to hike long distances, but she didn't know how much the trail would challenge her or how much it would inspire her, and she wasn't sure how safe she would, or wouldn't, be as a queer Black woman on the trail.

On the face of it this is an Appalachian Trail memoir, but Curtis's story is just as much about her childhood and mental health as it is about becoming a thru-hiker. Without spoiling the details, I'll say that she had a fair amount to work through, and she (sensibly) went into the AT with no expectation that it would 'fix' anything—but hoping that she could find something akin to peace. The writing isn't my favorite, but Curtis writes directly and with passion.

I'm particularly interested in her experience as a Black woman on the trail. A recent survey from The Trek suggested that the overwhelming majority of AT thru-hikers are white, and only a tiny fraction are Black (this is not news, but it's always nice to have data!), and Curtis knews going in that she'd be not only a minority on the trail in more ways than one, but she'd be a *visible* minority. And as much as indignant straight white men might have wanted to claim that that didn't matter, they're not the ones having to ask themselves how much of a threat other hikers, or locals, could be to them. Curtis discusses this fear frankly—and some of the experiences she had on and near the trail that make it quite clear that her fears were well founded—and I found it startlingly sad, if not surprising, that the place she felt safest was in the vicinity of NYC, where day hikers flood the trail and diversity abounds. (Diversity and people getting out on the trail are fantastic, obviously—just that one should also be able to feel safe deep in the woods with few people around.)

Curtis has set out to change those demographics, at least in a small way—she's en route to be the third Black person, second Black woman, and first queer Black woman to complete the triple crown (AT, CDT, and PCT). I hope this book can be one of many resources for others to follow in her footsteps.

*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

This book started out slowly, but after the first chapter, it really started digging into the core of what this book has to say.

I admit, I came away feeling inspired. I love that this book is so honest about how hitting bottom can lead to such positive results.

Addition is said to result from a deep trauma in your childhood and I was thinking about this while reading this story.

I have a love/hate relationship with hiking and the fact that Curtis did it and more importantly STUCK to her commitment is a great read.