Reviews

I did enjoy this book a lot, save for the maddening constant mentions of food, but I feel like it descends into incomprehensibility toward the end because of the more complex Buddhist ideas expressed. Obviously the Buddhist concepts are not the problems; it's more that I don't think that the author was able to convey them in a way that one who is not as knowledgeable or thoughtful about Buddhism may understand, especially with the paired guided meditations--good luck doing those if you have no idea what "Form is emptiness" truly means. Vagueness is something I find intolerable in everything I read, though, particularly in self-help books which have exercises that kind of entail understanding of the concepts behind them to practice them effectively.

I also thought the formula it utilized a bit tiresome after a while, with the author interweaving stories from her clients or people she met on meditation retreats throughout the book. It's tinged with the tone of a miracle cure. I do appreciate that she emphasized how she regularly struggles with abiding by radical acceptance, because it really isn't easy!

tildahlia's review against another edition

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3.0

Like a lot of self-help books, the ideas are good but the execution not so much. I found much of the illustrative examples in this book a little too 'tidy' to be credible. But the concepts of self-compassion and the techniques associated with mindfulness and awareness are valuable ones. I'd suggest checking out her talks over this book.

fraeyalise's review against another edition

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1) Graphic, unnecessary description of child sexual assault that came out of nowhere.

2) Does she even have consent to share the stories of her patients in such graphic detail?

3) The white and class privilege here is grating on me.

I've gotten all I can out of this book. I'm cautious, apprehensive, and wary of reading any more of her anecdotes because of how matter-of-factly she inserted the graphic CSA and rape descriptions.

I was a little triggered by her miscarriage and birth stories as well, but the CSA was the huge final straw.

Content Warnings

audragio's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

radh's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

As a self-development book, it has some good points, but overall I was disappointed by it because it had been so hyped up by book rec lists and it just didn't present any ground-breaking ideas, nor did it really delve into true Buddhist teachings, more-so just surface level yogic principles. I also had some problems with the ways that she used some of her experiences to convey the advice, and for that it should be marked as a book about her journey rather than a book on advice/insights for the reader. Overall there are plenty of better books out there, both in terms of general self-development, and for Buddhist teachings specifically.

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