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Untamed

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'Untamed' by Glennon Doyle is a memoir that delves into the author's journey of self-discovery and breaking free from societal expectations. The book narrates Doyle's transformation from living a conventional life as a wife and mother to embracing her true self after falling in love with a woman named Abby. Through a series of short stories and reflections, the author challenges the norms of conformity in relationships and advocates for following one's heart, despite the uncertainties and challenges that may arise. The writing style is a mix of personal anecdotes, self-help advice, and thought-provoking messages, creating a narrative that encourages readers to trust themselves and live authentically.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style combines personal anecdotes with a conversational tone, often structured in stand-alone essays, though some readers find it preachy.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around the author's personal journey of self-discovery as she transitions from a conventional life to embracing her authentic self, capturing the essence of female empowerment.

Setting:

The setting is contemporary America, emphasizing personal and societal expectations within a framework of modern familial and social life.

Pacing:

The pacing is uneven, combining quick, engaging thoughts with sections that some readers feel are drawn out or repetitive.
When I heard her car return, I settled into the couch, opened a book, and tried to slow my pulse. She walked through the door and directly toward me, bent down, kissed my forehead. She pushed my hair ...

Notes:

Glennon Doyle was previously a Christian mommy blogger before her transformation into a writer and activist.
She wrote the memoir 'Love Warrior' before 'Untamed', exploring her journey of saving her marriage from infidelity.
'Untamed' begins with a story about a Labrador and a cheetah to symbolize the themes of being tamed and reclaiming one's wild nature.
Doyle shares her personal experience of falling in love with Abby Wambach, a famous soccer player, after leaving her husband.
The book discusses societal expectations of women and the struggle against them, emphasizing the importance of being true to oneself.
Doyle's writing style consists of loosely connected essays that tackle themes like identity, motherhood, and empowerment.
Readers noted that the book often feels like a blend of memoir and self-help, stirring up mixed reactions regarding its style and tone.
Doyle discusses the notion of privilege, specifically her own as a white woman, and the disconnect that can arise in discussions about empowerment.
She encourages women to embrace their true selves, posing the idea that internalized societal pressures can cage one's spirit.
Although praised by many, the book has also faced criticism for its approach and perceived tone, with some finding it preachy or self-indulgent.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include discussion of mental health struggles, previous addiction, divorce, and themes of privilege.

From The Publisher:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Over two million copies sold! "Packed with incredible insight about what it means to be a woman today."-Reese Witherspoon (Reese's Book Club Pick)

In her most revealing and powerful memoir yet, the activist, speaker, bestselling author, and "patron saint of female empowerment" (People) explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet others' expectations and start trusting the voice deep within us.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY O: The Oprah Magazine

The Washington Post

Cosmopolitan

Marie Claire

Bloomberg

Parade

"Untamed will liberate women-emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It is phenomenal."-Elizabeth Gilbert, author of City of Girls and Eat Pray Love

This is how you find yourself.

There is a voice of longing inside each woman. We strive so mightily to be good: good partners, daughters, mothers, employees, and friends. We hope all this striving will make us feel alive. Instead, it leaves us feeling weary, stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed. We look at our lives and wonder: Wasn't it all supposed to be more beautiful than this? We quickly silence that question, telling ourselves to be grateful, hiding our discontent-even from ourselves.

For many years, Glennon Doyle denied her own discontent. Then, while speaking at a conference, she looked at a woman across the room and fell instantly in love. Three words flooded her mind: There She Is. At first, Glennon assumed these words came to her from on high. But she soon realized they had come to her from within. This was her own voice-the one she had buried beneath decades of numbing addictions, cultural conditioning, and institutional allegiances. This was the voice of the girl she had been before the world told her who to be. Glennon decided to quit abandoning herself and to instead abandon the world's expectations of her. She quit being good so she could be free. She quit pleasing and started living.

Soulful and uproarious, forceful and tender, Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is the story of navigating divorce, forming a new blended family, and discovering that the brokenness or wholeness of a family depends not on its structure but on each member's ability to bring her full self to the table. And it is the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts so that we become women who can finally look at ourselves and say: There She Is.

Untamed shows us how to be brave. As Glennon insists: The braver we are, the luckier we get.

Ratings (26)

Incredible (11)
Loved It (6)
Liked It (2)
It Was OK (2)
Did Not Like (3)
Hated It (2)

Reader Stats (51):

Read It (24)
Want To Read (18)
Did Not Finish (2)
Not Interested (7)

4 comment(s)

It Was OK
1 month

there were some really inspirational moments in here, but i felt like the book in general was about 100 pages too long of what i would consider the equivalent of shower thoughts. i wish there had been more about the idea of raising a feminist son, but he got one chapter of her realizing that she never pushed female empowerment onto her son and then left it at that. ok.

 
Did Not Like
5 months

My full review can be succinctly stated using the following quotes of other reviewers:

- "For the first 50 pages, she had me totally on board and I was enjoying her story and her message. But then the completely self-righteous (and yet wholly indeterminate) lecturing about every buzz-word topic on the planet started," and

- "My thoughts and feelings changed ‘several’ times - from positive to negative - back to positive- back to negative!!! By the end.... I was just glad to be DONE!"

 
Incredible
5 months

This book must be savored. It’s is my new bible. I will read it again and probably again after that!

 
Incredible
1 year

The most powerful life changing book I've ever read. I didn't realize how much power I had given up in my life until I read this book and got it all back.

 

About the Author:

Author, activist, founder of Together Rising, and host of the We Can Do Hard Things podcast Glennon Doyle is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Untamed, a Reese's Book Club selection, which has sold over two million…

 
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