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jennabeck13's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
Genre: Memoir
About 330 pages
Women have been tamed for years. We’ve been told what a proper lady looks like, sounds like, acts like, etc. So what happens when someone challenges those expectations society has put on us? Untamed tells Glennon Doyle’s story of doing just that. Glennon ended her marriage to pursue the woman she fell in love with at a conference. That decision could’ve changed her life, her career, and her kids’ lives in an infinite amount of ways. Could it have been the wrong decision? Yes, but it proved to be the right one. Untamed teaches readers to ask challenging questions, trust their gut, and not live in fear.
I DEVOURED THIS BOOK. Like literally couldn’t put it down. Glennon Doyle’s writing style pulled me in, and the topics she covered, the similarity of my opinions to hers, and her vulnerability kept me wanting more. I can’t believe it took me so long to read this book but I’m so happy book club brought it to me💜
I seriously think there are about 50 post-its in my copy highlighting amazing quotes. Therefore, I don’t think I can pick a favorite… but here is 1 of my 50+ highlights…. “Take good care of all of your selves. Fight like hell to keep yourself, and when you lose her, do whatever it takes to return to her.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, Body shaming, Misogyny, Sexism, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racism, Drug use, Lesbophobia, Police brutality, and Religious bigotry
cinderrunner's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
I really enjoyed Glennon's world view. She came across as honest, self aware, and having a willingness for humanity that I see far too infrequently. She doesn't shy away from admitting her flaws (her history with eating disorders, drugs, alcoholism, failures as a parent,etc) but she is still first and foremost a motivational speaker. So everything is told through a lens of inspiration and learning from those flaws. Its a very solid half memoir and half self help. Again, she is very heavy on the inspirational stuff and she discusses her journey with religion/spirituality. That's not gonna be for everyone, so don't bother if you're gonna get annoyed by those things. It was a lovely read but did feel a little long winded and repetitive in parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Grief, Eating disorder, Addiction, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, and Religious bigotry
parasolcrafter's review against another edition
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
1.75
this book was...fine??? i mean it definitely isnt revolutionary the way some ppl say it is :/ id say its a very shallow look at feminism; very surface level. there are some GREAT chapters in this book and some important things were said, but overall it feels like the author discovered feminism and is excited to tell ppl about it, as if we dont know what it already is? i dont know, it kind of came off sometimes like the author is treating the readers as if we dont know anything about it. and im sure this book is good for some people out there, but honestly a lot of the '''lessons''' we're taught about in this book is stuff i already dismantled inside myself when i was an older child/young teen. i didnt learn much from this book, really; its not bad, i guess, just definitely not for me. still gets a low rating though because i felt like the author was talking to me like i was a child.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, and Pregnancy
swetha062's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
If there exists a book that you'd like to gift your younger self, I would give her this book. It wouldn't only be your best friend but it would also encourage you to live and be better everyday.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Drug abuse
kayfab's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Misogyny, Drug use, Body shaming, and Panic attacks/disorders
alisonfaith426's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Addiction, Fatphobia, and Alcoholism
thequeengeek's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Hear me out. I started listening to Brené Brown books in the shower and sobbing right after I had Anthony. I was going through some bad PPD and decided to do a partial hospitalization program. A lot of the work I was doing there involved breaking down the shame and armor that Brené Brown discusses in her books. So, shower sobbing audiobooks began.
Now, I'm a little self conscious about the practice and about the material. Is it contributing to white woman nonsense? Am I somehow perpetuating privilege in a negative way by taking on this worldview? Is this all stuff I already paid to learn by a parade of very good therapists and group therapy and and and? Probably. Probably all of it.
HOWEVER hearing someone tell you that it's okay to listen to yourself and not please someone else and that you don't need to live in a little armored bubble fueled by shame and guarding against rejection is, in fact, nice. It's validating.
Enter this book. This is a more memoir-based version of the research based Brown's work. It tells stories about learning the hard way why "whole-hearted living" helps us and changes the course of our lives. It gives advice to stop asking for advice and polling and researching to make decisions and sit deep inside ourselves. It talks about stop living for the way you are supposed to be and start honoring who you are. Just more sobbing shower material.
I make fun of this, yes, but I do think that for a white middle class woman who struggles with unlearning the upbringing of the 80s and 90s, this is a good book. I want my friends to read it. I want to talk about it. And, honestly, it felt good to cry along with it. I did not always agree with her conclusion. I think that's okay. I did like hearing how she totally changed the order of her life and survived. It's a good reminder about parenting and expectations and honoring our children and our families.
This book isn't really about the content, though the content is good if you need it. But it's about the vibe. Sometimes she seems self indulgent, and sometimes a little unhinged, and sometimes you may think that what she says is completely selfish or won't lead to good choices. But I think that doing even a little bit of what she suggests could uncage us all.
I also read this book at the same time as When Women Were Dragons and the themes were so spot on that it felt like it enhanced my reading of both. I was happy that I was exploring rage, and social expectations, and making yourself small at the same time I was reading a modern book asking the same questions but directly AT me.
Look, I like this book. I'm couching it in all these caveats probably because I'm not just owning my feelings. Please read it and let me know when you are down shower crying so we can talk about it.
Now, I'm a little self conscious about the practice and about the material. Is it contributing to white woman nonsense? Am I somehow perpetuating privilege in a negative way by taking on this worldview? Is this all stuff I already paid to learn by a parade of very good therapists and group therapy and and and? Probably. Probably all of it.
HOWEVER hearing someone tell you that it's okay to listen to yourself and not please someone else and that you don't need to live in a little armored bubble fueled by shame and guarding against rejection is, in fact, nice. It's validating.
Enter this book. This is a more memoir-based version of the research based Brown's work. It tells stories about learning the hard way why "whole-hearted living" helps us and changes the course of our lives. It gives advice to stop asking for advice and polling and researching to make decisions and sit deep inside ourselves. It talks about stop living for the way you are supposed to be and start honoring who you are. Just more sobbing shower material.
I make fun of this, yes, but I do think that for a white middle class woman who struggles with unlearning the upbringing of the 80s and 90s, this is a good book. I want my friends to read it. I want to talk about it. And, honestly, it felt good to cry along with it. I did not always agree with her conclusion. I think that's okay. I did like hearing how she totally changed the order of her life and survived. It's a good reminder about parenting and expectations and honoring our children and our families.
This book isn't really about the content, though the content is good if you need it. But it's about the vibe. Sometimes she seems self indulgent, and sometimes a little unhinged, and sometimes you may think that what she says is completely selfish or won't lead to good choices. But I think that doing even a little bit of what she suggests could uncage us all.
I also read this book at the same time as When Women Were Dragons and the themes were so spot on that it felt like it enhanced my reading of both. I was happy that I was exploring rage, and social expectations, and making yourself small at the same time I was reading a modern book asking the same questions but directly AT me.
Look, I like this book. I'm couching it in all these caveats probably because I'm not just owning my feelings. Please read it and let me know when you are down shower crying so we can talk about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Drug abuse, and Alcoholism
pmhandley's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
This book is best when it's a memoir. The author is a fascinating and funny person and she has a lot of interesting stories and wisdom. When it steers into broad self-help it gets a bit iffier. Glennon Doyle has great advice if you are very similar to Glennon Doyle, which is a very specific demographic. I enjoyed her insights, but large portions of this book it was apparent it was Not For Me. I actually found the later parts of the book much more enjoyable than the earlier ones, I think because it just took me awhile to adjust to the author's voice. Some of the stories the author uses about her kids made me uneasy, just because they often required a certain suspension of disbelief and because Doyle has a tendency to project her own motivations onto even innocuous things her children say. (Also, I rolled my eyes a little at the story of her daughter trying out for a travel soccer team, because while heartwarming that she made the team with little experience, how many kids get to intensely train with ABBY FREAKIN WAMBACH to prepare?) The overuse of metaphors in this book was a bit much. Some just didn't really work and were a real stretch. But it's a pretty quick, amusing read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Eating disorder
lovetlr's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Eating disorder
deetabz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Addiction, Bullying, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Grief, Alcohol, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Xenophobia, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Fatphobia, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Sexual content