It’s a worst nightmare come true; two days into her first year at college author Aspen Matis was raped by a fellow student at her school in Colorado. With overbearing parents and siblings who seemed to be nothing but perfect, Matis felt like an outcast. Shut down by her mother and school about her rape, she decided to do something she thought would change her as a person. Deciding to drop out of college after the first year, Matis traveled to Mexico where she began her 2,650 mile walk from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT). Facing loneliness, near death experiences, the beauty of nature, and the lingering fears and hesitations brought on by her rape, she began her journey into her new identity. In her words, “This is the story of how my recklessness became my salvation.”
Girl in the Woods is an perfect example to portray how sometimes, a reckless activity can lead to the ultimate self-identification and control. When a traumatic event like rape occurs, it takes everything from the victim. Their freedom, their privacy, their identity. Taking those back can be a long and hard process, and Aspen Matis truly shows how hard it can be. Her memoir details the emotions and feelings involved with the healing process in a raw and uncensored stream of thought. My favorite quote that truly shows the passion behind her words states, “It was a new day, a beautiful one, and I was the director of my life, and I would not get raped today or ever again, and I could care for myself, I could take good care, and my hard no would stop men like a brick to the head, like lead-dead done it was the motherfucking law.” This book is a great read because there’s no holding back and calls out the rape-culture that exists in our society.
This book is a must read for anyone looking to help themselves get started on their own journey of self-preservation. Anyone who wants to gain back their self-esteem, find out who they are, and any survivor of rape who needs to be reminded it was never their fault. Anyone seeking the adventure of hiking the PCT, or even for someone looking for the boost of confidence to do what they need to satisfy a healthy personal change, Girl in the Woods can give it to you.
The most important message that can be provided through Matis’ journey is that the only thing that causes rape is rapists.