I make no secret of my affinity for reading and the written word in general. I believe that words can have magical healing powers and that reading can save your life. And I’m not being facetious or exaggerating. I honestly do believe that.

A few years ago I was searching for advice on the internet and stumbled upon the Dear Sugar column on The Rumpus.  I think I read the entire archive in a 48 hour period. Sugar’s words touched something deep in me, like they did for so many others. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read certain columns. I bought Tiny Beautiful Things and sometimes find myself hugging it in between the eloquently powerful answers that Sugar provides.

When Sugar announced that she was going to stop being anonymous and reveal her true identity back in 2012, I wasn’t sure how to feel. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know who was really writing these words that had come to mean so much to me, and was afraid knowing would somehow alter the column.

The only really sad thing about the unmasking of Dear Sugar is that she eventually stopped writing the column. But I’m really, really glad that Cheryl Strayed revealed herself. Because if she hadn’t, I don’t think I would have even known about Wild , let alone read it and fall in love with her as a real person for the first time and her words all over again.

I’m pretty sure I’m going to love this movie too.