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barizley's review
4.0
My 1st Brené Brown and I enjoyed it, even when I didn’t because it felt like a personal attack.
amliham's review
4.0
I reread this for the first time since reading it in 2014. I still enjoyed it, but was struck by how much Brene's own privilege was showing through her advice and analysis
wishfulfillment's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent resource for therapists. She honed in on at least three issues I've been working with clients about, if not more. This is the kind of work I will highlight and tab and refer to over time. It's the first of her works I've read and I recommend it to fellow therapists and to laymen alike.
cat_book_lady's review
3.0
I love Brown's concept of embracing one's imperfections while shedding the shame that typically accompanies it. Brown has done some tremendous research here on how people look to others for validation and are hesitant to be their true selves due to fear of judgement and fear of seeing who they truly are. Brown is very optimistic and puts forth positive thinking as a change to the cognitive rut where people find themselves unhappily stuck.
But that's the extent of the book - wonderful platitudes that give a warm, fuzzy feeling to the reader and freedom to be your truly imperfect self. I just felt, though, that I came away from another "power of positive thinking" book without full depth into the spiritual self, which is utterly surprising considering she is a huge Christian author and speaker. It left me wondering why she didn't go there, and I felt like she was pandering to an audience that would sell more books instead of being her true self. To me, hypocrisy abounds because she stops short of revealing her faith (though she does briefly mention that people need a spiritual connectedness with a higher being).
The thing is, I also know many friends who love this book and feel wonderfully free after reading it, so I suppose the impact of her words cannot be discounted. I highlighted so many lines of powerful sentiments. And, I will still recommend this book to my friends who need to break the chains of imperfect shame. But personally, I am disappointed that she does not embrace herself, and what she doesn't say tells me more about her than what she does say.
But that's the extent of the book - wonderful platitudes that give a warm, fuzzy feeling to the reader and freedom to be your truly imperfect self. I just felt, though, that I came away from another "power of positive thinking" book without full depth into the spiritual self, which is utterly surprising considering she is a huge Christian author and speaker. It left me wondering why she didn't go there, and I felt like she was pandering to an audience that would sell more books instead of being her true self. To me, hypocrisy abounds because she stops short of revealing her faith (though she does briefly mention that people need a spiritual connectedness with a higher being).
The thing is, I also know many friends who love this book and feel wonderfully free after reading it, so I suppose the impact of her words cannot be discounted. I highlighted so many lines of powerful sentiments. And, I will still recommend this book to my friends who need to break the chains of imperfect shame. But personally, I am disappointed that she does not embrace herself, and what she doesn't say tells me more about her than what she does say.
tmathews0330's review
5.0
Exactly what I needed for a time when I needed the extra push to pursue a new path. A call to bravery.
lillybobilly's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
eldurazo's review
4.75
Cheesy, yes, but an important study in wholeheartedness, shame resilience, and vulnerability.