Untamed by Glennon Doyle gets all the stars from me. This self help memoir is incredibly honest and the metaphorical writing is thought provoking. Get your highlighters, pens, and sticky notes ready, because this is one of those books that you will mark up and come back to again and again.
Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of Glennon Doyle. I did a little research and learned that she is married to Abby Wambach. I thought, ok I know who she is, but other than that, I went into this book blind. Glennon shares anecdotes from her life that shaped her as a woman, from cultural assumptions, expectations, and norms. As an adult, Glennon reflects on her childhood and the experiences that shaped her. From a young age, girls and boys are told to act, speak, and look a specific way. Anything that deviates from the cultural norm is strange and wrong. We are forced to fit a mold. After years of trying to force herself into this impossible mold, Glennon shatters it and learns what it is to fully become yourself. Her advice is less "self help advice" as it is lessons she learned and metaphors to drive the topics home. Glennon discusses topics such as gender norms for boys and girls, motherhood feeling like martyrdom, parenting our children in a society of excess, choosing joy, the comparison game, experiencing pain and feelings in a healthy fashion.
Untamed is not structured chronologically and each chapter jumps around to a different topic. This format actually read really well for me, as I could pick it up here and there, without wondering where I last left off. As with any personal development book, some parts spoke to me more than others. But the parts that spoke to me, really hit me at my core and made me self reflect. As a mother of two young boys, the parts that discussed motherhood and the martyrdom most moms take on really spoke to me.
Below is some of my favorite sections from Untamed:
Untamed is a book that I will cherish. It will sit on my shelf until I need another reminder or a pick me up. This is a book that I know I will come back to again and again. If you enjoy personal development books by inspirational authors such as Brene Brown and Elizabeth Gilbert, I highly recommend you check out Untamed.
Comments