Daring Greatly- book review

"Daring Greatly- How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead." Brene Brown, Ph. D., LMSW

So, after being introduced to Brene Brown in Jan. when I was in MN for some counseling training, I came home, listened to her TED talks, and tried to get my hands on as much of her materials as I could find on the internet. I was super excited when my Amazon package arrived in the mail a couple of weeks ago, with "Daring Greatly," and "I Thought It Was Just Me(but it isn't)."

I already wrote a good bit about my thoughts and excitement on Dr. Brown's teaching regarding Shame vs. Guilt here: http://www.annahunsucker.blogspot.com/2014_01_01_archive.html and on Vulnerability here: http://www.annahunsucker.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-power-of-vulnerability.html, but here's my personal review on the book...

This book is a thought provoking read that will challenge and convict you and leave you examining what you think and say, and the effects that come from those thoughts and words. Written by a Christian, but minus any Christianese, Dr. Brown's writing is easy to take in and comprehend, which is quite a feat coming from a woman who conducts research trials for her living. She writes powerfully about her journey to discover the difference between those who live Whole-Heartedly, and those who live in Shame, and how along the way, she came to the incredible realization that we become strong by embracing vulnerability, and we dare more greatly when we acknowledge our fear. Through her research and seminars, she herself was greatly challenged to think beyond what her initial theories had been, and to accept the realities that she was hearing from people about how Shame is so pervasive in our society. She made some startling discoveries in the differences in how men and women respond to Shame, and how we use shame in all aspects of our lives, from birth all the way to death. In particular, I highly recommend this book to parents, married couples, and anyone in a leadership position. Well researched, well thought out, well written- it's guaranteed to leave your brain scrambling around, and you doing a lot of self-examination.