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tsumners9837's review against another edition
5.0
I love when I pick up a book and feel like it’s directly speaking to me. I needed this book and I needed this book the most when I picked it up. Brenè is a genius and her words are FOREVER my mantras. All I can say is, dare greatly and just read it!
mdevlin923's review against another edition
2.0
An examination of shame and how pervasive it is in our cultures (for women, men, and children). Brown focuses on how being vulnerable and utilizing shame resistant behavior can help alleviate the feelings of shame.
I was completely unfamiliar with the complexities of shame and vulnerability, so the information on those topics was enlightening...but I think I needed more concrete steps to start incorporating it into my life.
I was completely unfamiliar with the complexities of shame and vulnerability, so the information on those topics was enlightening...but I think I needed more concrete steps to start incorporating it into my life.
threegoodrats's review against another edition
3.0
I'm surprised to see that I marked this "did not finish" last year; although I remember starting a book by Brene Brown and not finishing, I didn't think it was this one. Anyhow, I'm not great at reading books about ideas but this was a fairly easy read. As usual, I think it could have been an article, but there's some interesting stuff here that I'm certain I will forget in about five minutes.
kruthie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
stephaniesteen73's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, what a book! The title comes from an amazing quote by Theodore Roosevelt encouraging us all to give things our best shot("...the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena..who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again...who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly...")
The basic thesis is that in order to live our best lives, we need to be vulnerable: to go all out in living and loving, holding nothing back. With this comes great reward, but also great potential for feeling shame, heartbreak, criticism and disappointment. This is why most people view vulnerability as a weakness rather than a strength. Our culture greatly values people who project strength, even if it's a false sense of strength.
In order to embrace vulnerability, we need to develop "shame resilience" strategies and supports. The author provides so many great insights into our current (damaged) culture, including the idea of a scarcity mentality(constantly comparing what we have and don't have vs. what everyone else has) and judging others as a deflection of feeling inadequate. The book is packed with practical tips for using vulnerability to become a more effective parent, leader, employee, human. Although chock full of research, the book is incredibly readable and the author very relatable and empowering. The words transformative, radical, counter-cultural, mind-blowing, and perspective-altering come most readily to my mind. I know I'll be mulling this book over for days to come, and hopefully applying some lessons to my own life. I can't wait to check out her other books.
The basic thesis is that in order to live our best lives, we need to be vulnerable: to go all out in living and loving, holding nothing back. With this comes great reward, but also great potential for feeling shame, heartbreak, criticism and disappointment. This is why most people view vulnerability as a weakness rather than a strength. Our culture greatly values people who project strength, even if it's a false sense of strength.
In order to embrace vulnerability, we need to develop "shame resilience" strategies and supports. The author provides so many great insights into our current (damaged) culture, including the idea of a scarcity mentality(constantly comparing what we have and don't have vs. what everyone else has) and judging others as a deflection of feeling inadequate. The book is packed with practical tips for using vulnerability to become a more effective parent, leader, employee, human. Although chock full of research, the book is incredibly readable and the author very relatable and empowering. The words transformative, radical, counter-cultural, mind-blowing, and perspective-altering come most readily to my mind. I know I'll be mulling this book over for days to come, and hopefully applying some lessons to my own life. I can't wait to check out her other books.