Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone: Brené Brown: 9780812995848: Amazon.com: Books
Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone: Brené Brown
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A timely and important new book that challenges everything we think we know about cultivating true belonging in our communities, organizations, and culture, from the #1 bestselling author of Rising Strong, Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection
HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK
“True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.” Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives—experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging.
Brown argues that we’re experiencing a spiritual crisis of disconnection, and introduces four practices of true belonging that challenge everything we believe about ourselves and each other. She writes, “True belonging requires us to believe in and belong to ourselves so fully that we can find sacredness both in being a part of something and in standing alone when necessary. But in a culture that’s rife with perfectionism and pleasing, and with the erosion of civility, it’s easy to stay quiet, hide in our ideological bunkers, or fit in rather than show up as our true selves and brave the wilderness of uncertainty and criticism. But true belonging is not something we negotiate or accomplish with others; it’s a daily practice that demands integrity and authenticity. It’s a personal commitment that we carry in our hearts.” Brown offers us the clarity and courage we need to find our way back to ourselves and to each other. And that path cuts right through the wilderness. Brown writes, “The wilderness is an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It is a place as dangerous as it is breathtaking, a place as sought after as it is feared. But it turns out to be the place of true belonging, and it’s the bravest and most sacred place you will ever stand.”
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for Brené Brown’s Rising Strong
“[Brown’s] research and work have given us a new vocabulary, a way to talk with each other about the ideas and feelings and fears we’ve all had but haven’t quite known how to articulate. . . . [She] empowers us each to be a little more courageous.”—The Huffington Post
“It is inevitable—we will fall. We will fail. We will not know how to react or what to do. No matter how or when it happens, we will all have a choice—do we get up or not? Thankfully, Brené Brown is there with an outstretched arm to help us up.”—Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why and Leaders Eat Last
“With a fresh perspective that marries research and humor, Brown offers compassion while delivering thought-provoking ideas about relationships—with others and with oneself.”—Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation–Brené Brown Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past sixteen years studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of three #1 New York Times bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, and Rising Strong. Her TED talk—“The Power of Vulnerability”—is one of the top five most-viewed TED talks in the world, with more than thirty million views. Brown lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Steve, and their children, Ellen and Charlie.See all Editorial Reviews
Product details
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Random House; F First Edition edition (September 12, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0812995848
More about the author
› Visit Amazon's Brené Brown Page
Follow
Biography
Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation – Brené Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work.
She has spent the past sixteen years studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of four #1 New York Times bestsellers – The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, and Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and The Courage to Stand Alone.
Brené’s TED talk – The Power of Vulnerability – is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world with over 30 million views.
In addition to her research and writing, Brené is the Founder and CEO of BRAVE LEADERS INC – an organization that brings evidence-based courage building programs to teams, leaders, and organizations.
Brené lives in Houston, Texas with her husband, Steve, and their children, Ellen and Charlie.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA clumsy review, from someone who didn't expect this book to matter...
ByGingerbreadTOP 100 REVIEWERon September 12, 2017
I've been staring at the computer screen for about 10 minutes now, trying to start this review, and having no idea how to do so. I just can't make the words come out, and writing the review terrifies me, and makes me feel a little ill. You see, I didn't buy, or read this book because I know the author or her work. I did both because the content sounded interesting, and because I needed my next big review. Yes, I read this book so I could review it, which is where the ill part enters. I started working toward being an Amazon Top 1000 reviewer about a year ago. Not because I really cared about the rank...it was just a goal. Something intangible I could work toward. And I chose it, because sad though it is, my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are the last place in this entire world where I am willing to communicate, in any capacity, with other human beings. They're all I have left.
I live a sad life. I have no friends and I'm lonely... So lonely that as I type this I feel like crying, even though I accepted this as my reality a long time ago. I cancelled facebook two years ago. I lost my last real friend three years ago. I struggle to call and make appointments because it requires talking to strangers, and for this reason I also can't go to the grocery store, or the gas station, or any other list of a hundred places that normal people go to have normal lives.
You see, I decided five years ago that I was done with fitting in, and that I'd rather be lonely and alone, than to continue immersing myself in a world I found caustic.
Everywhere I looked people seemed to be shouting, trying to make their voices heard. The most recent clever story on facebook. The most wittily stated opinion. I didn't see kindness, I saw intolerance and rudeness. I saw people ripping each other down through the medium of social media because they didn't have to look that person in the face, and see how their comments hurt them. Then I watched as that attitude seemed to make people less tolerant in the real world as well. I wanted no part of it anymore. From that point on I was standing alone, and that was that. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but as the years have passed, I've cut myself so far off from humanity that it feels like I'm the only person left in my world. It hurts, SO much, but I don't know how to undo it. I don't know how to go back.
At least...I didn't. I know this review is already too long, and all I've done is clumsily muddle my way through it—attempting to express something I don't even know if others will understand. This is frustrating for me, because I don't want to talk about myself, and doing so is terrifying, particularly after so many years of silence. But I didn't know how else to express the impact this book had on me, without first talking about how much pain I've been in, and how nefarious my reasons for reading it in the first place. I got the "standing alone" part down pat. I did that years ago. The part I couldn't find, that maybe I'd never have found on my own, is the part where I know how to belong to something again. Join the world. Feel a connection to life and humanity.
I cried just about the entire duration of this book. I got it because it sounded "interesting", but I feel like it opened up a hole in the side of my sad little world. I didn't think it would apply to me, but it's changed my life. I expected to write an honest, clinical review discussing its contents from a dispassionate point of view. But instead, here I am, still clumsily attempting to convey my feelings in the hopes that some part of this review might encourage even one other person to read this book.
Everyone should read this book. Everyone who wants to stand alone, but still belong. Everyone who already is alone, and wants to be a part of something again. Everyone who is tired of a humanity that is separated. Give it a shot. If nothing else, get the sample chapters, and see if there's something in it that might speak to you.
And if my review is clumsy, I sincerely apologize. Please don't let that turn you off from the book. It changed my life, and I think it can do as much for many.
EDIT: It's been 6 months since I wrote this review, and when I said this book changed my life, it did. Oh, how it did! I got into therapy. I've made some friends who share my interests, and even many of my anxieties. I no longer feel lonely or threatened. If anyone out there struggles as I did, please know that help is available, and change is possible. All it takes is one moment that changes all other moments. For me, that was this book! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all of you who have supported me, and supported each other. Humanity is far more wonderful than I once believed! <3
50+ comments| 5,445 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Brene Brown's Best Book So Far--For Every Reader
ByO. Merce BrownVINE VOICEHALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERon September 13, 2017
*****
Like all of Brene Brown's books, this one is life-transforming. I would recommend that everyone--everyone--read each book of hers, in order, and this one last, as it is the culmination of all of the other books. But even better, buy this book, read it, go back and read the others and then read this again! This is the best of all of her books, as well as a prescription for being alive now, of being a citizen, a human being, a kind and caring and loving person--now--at this time in history. It is about how to be brave, kind, and good--no matter what your faith or lack of faith--and of dealing with the fractionalization of our country and of moving towards a re-humanizing (as opposed to dehumanizing) of our communities and families and other relationships, of transforming conflict in brave and true ways.
The book's theme is "true belonging", which the author defines as: "...the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn't require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are." This might sound a bit unusual, but the book unfolds this idea in beautiful ways that truly will appeal to every reader--no matter what your ideology (including religious and political), no matter what your race, gender, or background.
Read this book; I cannot convey in a review how much it has the potential to change your life for the better. I read it yesterday and today in two sittings and am going back again and again to the writing, the ideas, and the inspiration to me to life more authentically and to be able to connect with others in deeper and braver ways.
Highly recommended.
*****
3 comments| 465 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
5.0 out of 5 stars
I've only listened to the first chapter of the book ...
ByRonnieTexason September 12, 2017
I've only listened to the first chapter of the book so far and I've been in tears three times. This book has already opened my heart and squeezed it hard. I can't wait to listen to the rest - my dog is going to be getting some long walks.
5 comments| 320 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Handbook for Honest Living
Bysisterjessieon September 12, 2017
You only need to read this book if you are a human.
This is the book that I needed now.
I needed to be reminded that respect begins with respect to myself.
I belong to me.
This is the lesson that I want to teach my children.
The only way to teach is by example.
Thank you, Brene.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
This helps me feel that I can do this.
ByC. Burtonon September 21, 2017
This is a powerful book. I can't begin to approach the words of a particular reviewer who really gets to the heart of the book but I can say I have been searching for information like this most of my life. On numerous occasions, in youth, young adulthood, and on, I have found myself in the wilderness and turned to unhealthy solaces. As with physical pain, the best way to heal from emotional pain is to move through it. Therapy can help point out the problems but this book actually talks about the challenging but effective ways to handle them. She's said this over and over again: It isn't easy but it's so worthwhile.
To the reviewers who feel she's repeating herself, I say that like any good teacher, she's going into greater depth. This is Authenticity 405 instead of 101. Her political comments aren't aimed at any one party but at the position of "US versus THEM". I know some people who would refer to this information as pious or psychobabble or any number of dismissing adjectives but people love this because it's profound and people hate it because it's hard. I think I can do this. Thank you, Brene Brown.
1 comment| 20 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
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5.0 out of 5 stars
LOVE!
ByD. Spenceron September 13, 2017
Brene Brown speaks truth to the heart. Truly, this book is a gift to the world especially now with the divisive rhetoric and fear mongering in our political arena. For all people, of all ages, of all beliefs and all affiliations. This book, living its wisdom, can change the world one person at a time.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Learn to Love YOU & Loving Others is Much Easier!
BySteven Woloszyk
on October 13, 2017
Brené Brown has written three NY Times bestsellers. She also has one of the five most viewed TED talks with over 30 million views called “The Power of Vulnerability.”
This book is about our yearning to belong and how having the courage to be ourselves, being authentic, and having the courage to stand alone can help us accomplish a sense of belonging. This sounds like quite a paradox, but Brené brings clarity to this conundrum by the end of the book.
BRAVING is an acronym that Brené introduced in an earlier book called Rising Strong. It is about trusting others and self-trust. She calls this her wilderness checklist. Gaining this trust is about:
• Boundaries. This is making sure that we’re clear on respecting boundaries, and when in doubt, we ask.
• Reliability. We do what what we say we are going to do.
• Accountability. We own our mistakes, apologize, and make things right.
• Vault. Simply keeping things in confidence and sharing only the things that are ours to share.
• Integrity. Practicing our values and always doing what is right even if it’s uncomfortable.
• Non-judgment. We can differ in opinions and still respect each other.
• Generosity. We extend the most generous interpretation possible to the intentions, words, and actions of others.
Our world is so polarized today. We tend to look at each other’s differences. We separate ourselves with regards to politics, religion, social class, etc., and tend to gravitate towards those who think the same as us. Our differences are magnified more so today than at any other time in our history.
Brené gives us four elements to help with the reality of today’s world. They are:
1 - People Are Hard to Hate Close Up. Move In.
2 - Speak Truth to BS. Be Civil.
3 - Hold Hands. With Strangers.
4 - Strong Back. Soft Front. Wild Heart.
This book helps us understand that our imperfections, uniqueness, our fears, etc., are what make us who we are. Brené says that once we embrace our humanness, our shortcomings, and we love ourselves for who we are, will we find our sence of belonging.
This book was published September 12th, 2017 and already has 176 reviews on Amazon giving it a 4.6 rating. Goodreads gives it 4.32 stars after 2,433 ratings and 366 reviews. The timing of this book couldn’t be more apropos with the divisiveness of our world today. I definitely recommend this one and I give it 4 stars.
#FridaysFind #MIAGD #BrenéBrown #BRAVING #BravingTheWilderness #Authenticity #BeYou
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Read it only if you are human! (not for perfect, know-it-all people)
BySabinaon October 23, 2017
Being a fan of Brene Brown’s previous books, I expected this one to be good. I definitely did not expect it to hit home so hard.
Multiple times when reading this book I had to put it down, close my eyes and reflect.
Although written in an easy to read way, this was not an easy read. It was not easy because with everything that is happening in the US and worldwide, with the mess on both national and international political scene, the hate people give to one another, I also got pulled into taking sides. It is so easy to disagree with anyone whose opinion differs from our own. It is so easy to become obsessed with the political drama and point fingers at the ‘bad guys’. This book changed me.
"The goal is to get to the place where we can think, I am aware of what’s happening, the part I play, and how I can make it better, and that doesn't mean I have to deny the joy in my life."
Braving the Wilderness is an eye opener.
"Today we are edging closer and closer to a world where political and ideological discourse has become an exercise in dehumanization. And social media are the primary platforms for our dehumanizing behavior. On Twitter and Facebook we can rapidly push the people with whom we disagree into the dangerous territory of moral exclusion, with little to no accountability, and often in complete anonymity."
Brene touches upon all the topics that divide our society, if not the world: 2016 US election, the disrespect between Republicans and Democrats, all possible aspects of racism, gun laws, the way social media and anonymity makes it easy to express hateful opinions. But this is not a book about Democrats, Republicans, Whites or Blacks. This is a book about people – human beings coming together, coexist peacefully and get along.
It challenges everything we think we know about belonging, not only on the personal level, but also much broader spectrum – the country, our communities, and our cultures.
Brene focuses on basic rules, which may not speak to you when you look at them briefly, but make so much sense when you open your mind and think about them deeply.
"People are hard to hate close up. Move in."
"Speak truth to BS. Be Civil."
"Hold hands. With strangers."
"Strong back. Soft front. Wild heart."
Recommended read for everyone!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Her best book yet
ByRomyon September 14, 2017
If you are seeking true connection and the feeling you belong because of who you uniquely are, read this book. "If I get to be me, I belong. If I have to be like you, I fit in."
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1.0 out of 5 stars
this is perfect. With someone dealing with MDD
ByMegan L.on December 16, 2017
If you’re a white suburban mom just getting into self help, this is perfect. With someone dealing with MDD, ADHD, anxiety, and PTSD this book gave me like 2 skills I can use while the remaining pages talked about the author’s privledged life experiences in an attempt to relate to the reader. While I appreciate the attempt, I would also like a more comparable experience to feeling out of place than when she met Oprah, maybe try a more relatable touch that isn’t something most of us can’t experience. Overall, I felt that this book was inaccurate in representing the Average Person with a Mental Illness and their struggles with how someone with four other businesses would spend writing a book. Effort was nice, but most self help books written by successful white women do marginally better than others. Not well written, scattered stories and thoughts to try and fit the subject, and experiences that made me feel unaccomplished in my struggles. I’m looking for actual in addition to my therapy and medication in self help nonfiction, not how you overcame feeling alone meeting your favorite, and incredibly famous, poet that only a small percentage get to experience. 1/5
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0 out of 5 stars
this is perfect. With someone dealing with MDD
ByMegan L.on December 16, 2017
If you’re a white suburban mom just getting into self help, this is perfect. With someone dealing with MDD, ADHD, anxiety, and PTSD this book gave me like 2 skills I can use while the remaining pages talked about the author’s privledged life experiences in an attempt to relate to the reader. While I appreciate the attempt, I would also like a more comparable experience to feeling out of place than when she met Oprah, maybe try a more relatable touch that isn’t something most of us can’t experience. Overall, I felt that this book was inaccurate in representing the Average Person with a Mental Illness and their struggles with how someone with four other businesses would spend writing a book. Effort was nice, but most self help books written by successful white women do marginally better than others. Not well written, scattered stories and thoughts to try and fit the subject, and experiences that made me feel unaccomplished in my struggles. I’m looking for actual in addition to my therapy and medication in self help nonfiction, not how you overcame feeling alone meeting your favorite, and incredibly famous, poet that only a small percentage get to experience. 1/5
1 comment| 15 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
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I'm wondering if you have read any of the following:
Brain Maker by David Perlmutter MD, board certified neurologist and Fellow of the American Academy of Nutrition.
The UltraMind Solution by Mark Hyman, MD, director of the Center for Functional Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.
The Mind-Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer, MD, PhD, head of psychiatry and microbiome research at UCLA.
A Mind of Your Own by Kelly Brogan MD, board certified psychiatrist and integrative holistic medicine.
(Note - Dr. Brogan's book is only for those who already know that mental health care has for the most part been monopolized by a medical system that puts profits first. If you don't already know this, you may be offended by her blunt honesty about this.)
All of the above books are excellent and enlightening, but none are stand-alones. It may be helpful to read more than one. The Emeran Mayer book may not be very helpful to you, but I included it since he's at UCLA making him the most mainstream one who thinks out of the box. I think you would get more useful information from the other 3 books.
I wish you the best.
Leave a reply
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A timely and important new book that challenges everything we think we know about cultivating true belonging in our communities, organizations, and culture, from the #1 bestselling author of Rising Strong, Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection
HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK
“True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.” Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives—experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging.
Brown argues that we’re experiencing a spiritual crisis of disconnection, and introduces four practices of true belonging that challenge everything we believe about ourselves and each other. She writes, “True belonging requires us to believe in and belong to ourselves so fully that we can find sacredness both in being a part of something and in standing alone when necessary. But in a culture that’s rife with perfectionism and pleasing, and with the erosion of civility, it’s easy to stay quiet, hide in our ideological bunkers, or fit in rather than show up as our true selves and brave the wilderness of uncertainty and criticism. But true belonging is not something we negotiate or accomplish with others; it’s a daily practice that demands integrity and authenticity. It’s a personal commitment that we carry in our hearts.” Brown offers us the clarity and courage we need to find our way back to ourselves and to each other. And that path cuts right through the wilderness. Brown writes, “The wilderness is an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It is a place as dangerous as it is breathtaking, a place as sought after as it is feared. But it turns out to be the place of true belonging, and it’s the bravest and most sacred place you will ever stand.”
----------
Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for Brené Brown’s Rising Strong
“[Brown’s] research and work have given us a new vocabulary, a way to talk with each other about the ideas and feelings and fears we’ve all had but haven’t quite known how to articulate. . . . [She] empowers us each to be a little more courageous.”—The Huffington Post
“It is inevitable—we will fall. We will fail. We will not know how to react or what to do. No matter how or when it happens, we will all have a choice—do we get up or not? Thankfully, Brené Brown is there with an outstretched arm to help us up.”—Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why and Leaders Eat Last
“With a fresh perspective that marries research and humor, Brown offers compassion while delivering thought-provoking ideas about relationships—with others and with oneself.”—Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation–Brené Brown Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past sixteen years studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of three #1 New York Times bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, and Rising Strong. Her TED talk—“The Power of Vulnerability”—is one of the top five most-viewed TED talks in the world, with more than thirty million views. Brown lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Steve, and their children, Ellen and Charlie.See all Editorial Reviews
Product details
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Random House; F First Edition edition (September 12, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0812995848
More about the author
› Visit Amazon's Brené Brown Page
Follow
Biography
Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation – Brené Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work.
She has spent the past sixteen years studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of four #1 New York Times bestsellers – The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, and Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and The Courage to Stand Alone.
Brené’s TED talk – The Power of Vulnerability – is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world with over 30 million views.
In addition to her research and writing, Brené is the Founder and CEO of BRAVE LEADERS INC – an organization that brings evidence-based courage building programs to teams, leaders, and organizations.
Brené lives in Houston, Texas with her husband, Steve, and their children, Ellen and Charlie.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA clumsy review, from someone who didn't expect this book to matter...
ByGingerbreadTOP 100 REVIEWERon September 12, 2017
I've been staring at the computer screen for about 10 minutes now, trying to start this review, and having no idea how to do so. I just can't make the words come out, and writing the review terrifies me, and makes me feel a little ill. You see, I didn't buy, or read this book because I know the author or her work. I did both because the content sounded interesting, and because I needed my next big review. Yes, I read this book so I could review it, which is where the ill part enters. I started working toward being an Amazon Top 1000 reviewer about a year ago. Not because I really cared about the rank...it was just a goal. Something intangible I could work toward. And I chose it, because sad though it is, my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are the last place in this entire world where I am willing to communicate, in any capacity, with other human beings. They're all I have left.
I live a sad life. I have no friends and I'm lonely... So lonely that as I type this I feel like crying, even though I accepted this as my reality a long time ago. I cancelled facebook two years ago. I lost my last real friend three years ago. I struggle to call and make appointments because it requires talking to strangers, and for this reason I also can't go to the grocery store, or the gas station, or any other list of a hundred places that normal people go to have normal lives.
You see, I decided five years ago that I was done with fitting in, and that I'd rather be lonely and alone, than to continue immersing myself in a world I found caustic.
Everywhere I looked people seemed to be shouting, trying to make their voices heard. The most recent clever story on facebook. The most wittily stated opinion. I didn't see kindness, I saw intolerance and rudeness. I saw people ripping each other down through the medium of social media because they didn't have to look that person in the face, and see how their comments hurt them. Then I watched as that attitude seemed to make people less tolerant in the real world as well. I wanted no part of it anymore. From that point on I was standing alone, and that was that. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but as the years have passed, I've cut myself so far off from humanity that it feels like I'm the only person left in my world. It hurts, SO much, but I don't know how to undo it. I don't know how to go back.
At least...I didn't. I know this review is already too long, and all I've done is clumsily muddle my way through it—attempting to express something I don't even know if others will understand. This is frustrating for me, because I don't want to talk about myself, and doing so is terrifying, particularly after so many years of silence. But I didn't know how else to express the impact this book had on me, without first talking about how much pain I've been in, and how nefarious my reasons for reading it in the first place. I got the "standing alone" part down pat. I did that years ago. The part I couldn't find, that maybe I'd never have found on my own, is the part where I know how to belong to something again. Join the world. Feel a connection to life and humanity.
I cried just about the entire duration of this book. I got it because it sounded "interesting", but I feel like it opened up a hole in the side of my sad little world. I didn't think it would apply to me, but it's changed my life. I expected to write an honest, clinical review discussing its contents from a dispassionate point of view. But instead, here I am, still clumsily attempting to convey my feelings in the hopes that some part of this review might encourage even one other person to read this book.
Everyone should read this book. Everyone who wants to stand alone, but still belong. Everyone who already is alone, and wants to be a part of something again. Everyone who is tired of a humanity that is separated. Give it a shot. If nothing else, get the sample chapters, and see if there's something in it that might speak to you.
And if my review is clumsy, I sincerely apologize. Please don't let that turn you off from the book. It changed my life, and I think it can do as much for many.
EDIT: It's been 6 months since I wrote this review, and when I said this book changed my life, it did. Oh, how it did! I got into therapy. I've made some friends who share my interests, and even many of my anxieties. I no longer feel lonely or threatened. If anyone out there struggles as I did, please know that help is available, and change is possible. All it takes is one moment that changes all other moments. For me, that was this book! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all of you who have supported me, and supported each other. Humanity is far more wonderful than I once believed! <3
50+ comments| 5,445 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Brene Brown's Best Book So Far--For Every Reader
ByO. Merce BrownVINE VOICEHALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERon September 13, 2017
*****
Like all of Brene Brown's books, this one is life-transforming. I would recommend that everyone--everyone--read each book of hers, in order, and this one last, as it is the culmination of all of the other books. But even better, buy this book, read it, go back and read the others and then read this again! This is the best of all of her books, as well as a prescription for being alive now, of being a citizen, a human being, a kind and caring and loving person--now--at this time in history. It is about how to be brave, kind, and good--no matter what your faith or lack of faith--and of dealing with the fractionalization of our country and of moving towards a re-humanizing (as opposed to dehumanizing) of our communities and families and other relationships, of transforming conflict in brave and true ways.
The book's theme is "true belonging", which the author defines as: "...the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn't require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are." This might sound a bit unusual, but the book unfolds this idea in beautiful ways that truly will appeal to every reader--no matter what your ideology (including religious and political), no matter what your race, gender, or background.
Read this book; I cannot convey in a review how much it has the potential to change your life for the better. I read it yesterday and today in two sittings and am going back again and again to the writing, the ideas, and the inspiration to me to life more authentically and to be able to connect with others in deeper and braver ways.
Highly recommended.
*****
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5.0 out of 5 stars
I've only listened to the first chapter of the book ...
ByRonnieTexason September 12, 2017
I've only listened to the first chapter of the book so far and I've been in tears three times. This book has already opened my heart and squeezed it hard. I can't wait to listen to the rest - my dog is going to be getting some long walks.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Handbook for Honest Living
Bysisterjessieon September 12, 2017
You only need to read this book if you are a human.
This is the book that I needed now.
I needed to be reminded that respect begins with respect to myself.
I belong to me.
This is the lesson that I want to teach my children.
The only way to teach is by example.
Thank you, Brene.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
This helps me feel that I can do this.
ByC. Burtonon September 21, 2017
This is a powerful book. I can't begin to approach the words of a particular reviewer who really gets to the heart of the book but I can say I have been searching for information like this most of my life. On numerous occasions, in youth, young adulthood, and on, I have found myself in the wilderness and turned to unhealthy solaces. As with physical pain, the best way to heal from emotional pain is to move through it. Therapy can help point out the problems but this book actually talks about the challenging but effective ways to handle them. She's said this over and over again: It isn't easy but it's so worthwhile.
To the reviewers who feel she's repeating herself, I say that like any good teacher, she's going into greater depth. This is Authenticity 405 instead of 101. Her political comments aren't aimed at any one party but at the position of "US versus THEM". I know some people who would refer to this information as pious or psychobabble or any number of dismissing adjectives but people love this because it's profound and people hate it because it's hard. I think I can do this. Thank you, Brene Brown.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
LOVE!
ByD. Spenceron September 13, 2017
Brene Brown speaks truth to the heart. Truly, this book is a gift to the world especially now with the divisive rhetoric and fear mongering in our political arena. For all people, of all ages, of all beliefs and all affiliations. This book, living its wisdom, can change the world one person at a time.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Learn to Love YOU & Loving Others is Much Easier!
BySteven Woloszyk
on October 13, 2017
Brené Brown has written three NY Times bestsellers. She also has one of the five most viewed TED talks with over 30 million views called “The Power of Vulnerability.”
This book is about our yearning to belong and how having the courage to be ourselves, being authentic, and having the courage to stand alone can help us accomplish a sense of belonging. This sounds like quite a paradox, but Brené brings clarity to this conundrum by the end of the book.
BRAVING is an acronym that Brené introduced in an earlier book called Rising Strong. It is about trusting others and self-trust. She calls this her wilderness checklist. Gaining this trust is about:
• Boundaries. This is making sure that we’re clear on respecting boundaries, and when in doubt, we ask.
• Reliability. We do what what we say we are going to do.
• Accountability. We own our mistakes, apologize, and make things right.
• Vault. Simply keeping things in confidence and sharing only the things that are ours to share.
• Integrity. Practicing our values and always doing what is right even if it’s uncomfortable.
• Non-judgment. We can differ in opinions and still respect each other.
• Generosity. We extend the most generous interpretation possible to the intentions, words, and actions of others.
Our world is so polarized today. We tend to look at each other’s differences. We separate ourselves with regards to politics, religion, social class, etc., and tend to gravitate towards those who think the same as us. Our differences are magnified more so today than at any other time in our history.
Brené gives us four elements to help with the reality of today’s world. They are:
1 - People Are Hard to Hate Close Up. Move In.
2 - Speak Truth to BS. Be Civil.
3 - Hold Hands. With Strangers.
4 - Strong Back. Soft Front. Wild Heart.
This book helps us understand that our imperfections, uniqueness, our fears, etc., are what make us who we are. Brené says that once we embrace our humanness, our shortcomings, and we love ourselves for who we are, will we find our sence of belonging.
This book was published September 12th, 2017 and already has 176 reviews on Amazon giving it a 4.6 rating. Goodreads gives it 4.32 stars after 2,433 ratings and 366 reviews. The timing of this book couldn’t be more apropos with the divisiveness of our world today. I definitely recommend this one and I give it 4 stars.
#FridaysFind #MIAGD #BrenéBrown #BRAVING #BravingTheWilderness #Authenticity #BeYou
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Read it only if you are human! (not for perfect, know-it-all people)
BySabinaon October 23, 2017
Being a fan of Brene Brown’s previous books, I expected this one to be good. I definitely did not expect it to hit home so hard.
Multiple times when reading this book I had to put it down, close my eyes and reflect.
Although written in an easy to read way, this was not an easy read. It was not easy because with everything that is happening in the US and worldwide, with the mess on both national and international political scene, the hate people give to one another, I also got pulled into taking sides. It is so easy to disagree with anyone whose opinion differs from our own. It is so easy to become obsessed with the political drama and point fingers at the ‘bad guys’. This book changed me.
"The goal is to get to the place where we can think, I am aware of what’s happening, the part I play, and how I can make it better, and that doesn't mean I have to deny the joy in my life."
Braving the Wilderness is an eye opener.
"Today we are edging closer and closer to a world where political and ideological discourse has become an exercise in dehumanization. And social media are the primary platforms for our dehumanizing behavior. On Twitter and Facebook we can rapidly push the people with whom we disagree into the dangerous territory of moral exclusion, with little to no accountability, and often in complete anonymity."
Brene touches upon all the topics that divide our society, if not the world: 2016 US election, the disrespect between Republicans and Democrats, all possible aspects of racism, gun laws, the way social media and anonymity makes it easy to express hateful opinions. But this is not a book about Democrats, Republicans, Whites or Blacks. This is a book about people – human beings coming together, coexist peacefully and get along.
It challenges everything we think we know about belonging, not only on the personal level, but also much broader spectrum – the country, our communities, and our cultures.
Brene focuses on basic rules, which may not speak to you when you look at them briefly, but make so much sense when you open your mind and think about them deeply.
"People are hard to hate close up. Move in."
"Speak truth to BS. Be Civil."
"Hold hands. With strangers."
"Strong back. Soft front. Wild heart."
Recommended read for everyone!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Her best book yet
ByRomyon September 14, 2017
If you are seeking true connection and the feeling you belong because of who you uniquely are, read this book. "If I get to be me, I belong. If I have to be like you, I fit in."
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1.0 out of 5 stars
this is perfect. With someone dealing with MDD
ByMegan L.on December 16, 2017
If you’re a white suburban mom just getting into self help, this is perfect. With someone dealing with MDD, ADHD, anxiety, and PTSD this book gave me like 2 skills I can use while the remaining pages talked about the author’s privledged life experiences in an attempt to relate to the reader. While I appreciate the attempt, I would also like a more comparable experience to feeling out of place than when she met Oprah, maybe try a more relatable touch that isn’t something most of us can’t experience. Overall, I felt that this book was inaccurate in representing the Average Person with a Mental Illness and their struggles with how someone with four other businesses would spend writing a book. Effort was nice, but most self help books written by successful white women do marginally better than others. Not well written, scattered stories and thoughts to try and fit the subject, and experiences that made me feel unaccomplished in my struggles. I’m looking for actual in addition to my therapy and medication in self help nonfiction, not how you overcame feeling alone meeting your favorite, and incredibly famous, poet that only a small percentage get to experience. 1/5
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0 out of 5 stars
this is perfect. With someone dealing with MDD
ByMegan L.on December 16, 2017
If you’re a white suburban mom just getting into self help, this is perfect. With someone dealing with MDD, ADHD, anxiety, and PTSD this book gave me like 2 skills I can use while the remaining pages talked about the author’s privledged life experiences in an attempt to relate to the reader. While I appreciate the attempt, I would also like a more comparable experience to feeling out of place than when she met Oprah, maybe try a more relatable touch that isn’t something most of us can’t experience. Overall, I felt that this book was inaccurate in representing the Average Person with a Mental Illness and their struggles with how someone with four other businesses would spend writing a book. Effort was nice, but most self help books written by successful white women do marginally better than others. Not well written, scattered stories and thoughts to try and fit the subject, and experiences that made me feel unaccomplished in my struggles. I’m looking for actual in addition to my therapy and medication in self help nonfiction, not how you overcame feeling alone meeting your favorite, and incredibly famous, poet that only a small percentage get to experience. 1/5
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SC3 months ago (Edited)
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I'm wondering if you have read any of the following:
Brain Maker by David Perlmutter MD, board certified neurologist and Fellow of the American Academy of Nutrition.
The UltraMind Solution by Mark Hyman, MD, director of the Center for Functional Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.
The Mind-Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer, MD, PhD, head of psychiatry and microbiome research at UCLA.
A Mind of Your Own by Kelly Brogan MD, board certified psychiatrist and integrative holistic medicine.
(Note - Dr. Brogan's book is only for those who already know that mental health care has for the most part been monopolized by a medical system that puts profits first. If you don't already know this, you may be offended by her blunt honesty about this.)
All of the above books are excellent and enlightening, but none are stand-alones. It may be helpful to read more than one. The Emeran Mayer book may not be very helpful to you, but I included it since he's at UCLA making him the most mainstream one who thinks out of the box. I think you would get more useful information from the other 3 books.
I wish you the best.
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