Review: Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While I have read blogs and passages of Brene Brown before, this is the first of her books that I have read. I did know what to expect as a result of my following her work so far, and this book lives up very well to the expectations I had.

A large part of self-help literature plays on fear – talking about the need for transforming ourselves with a great sense of urgency, else we are doomed to failure in a world which is changing at a rapid pace. Over the past few years, Mindfulness literature and practice taught me on how that approach makes learning and life so less joyful than it should be. Brene Brown outlines wisdom and approaches which will work very well, drawing on her experience and research. She outlines true belonging very unambiguously and how you can make it a part of your life.

The book starts with a moving account her difficulties in the early part of her life, and how inadequate she felt. It took many years and support from well meaning people who understood her to accept herself first, before offering herself to others. As she says “True belonging doesn't require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are."

This book also provides the best explanation for the divisions we see in society, exacerbated in social media platforms. People have ended up sorting themselves into like minded groups, each battling the other to prove themselves right. Media now provides a giant, self-reinforcing feedback loop with people using it to further cement their intransigence.

None of us need to fit in – and can all find our own way. Be it requires accepting ourselves and being brave in choosing our path.

It is not that you will agree with all she says, as she herself points out (for instance I disagree with her position on guns), but the book offers a great framework for an enriching connect and dialogue.

An excellent book I strongly recommend you read for its soul – is truthful and unpretentious. Many of the good Mindfulness books offer good supplementary reading material and practical techniques on similar lines.

My rating: 4.5 / 5.


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