Untamed

By Glennon Doyle

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4.5)

Stop Pleasing, Start Living

Unleash your true self.

View on Amazon

Why This Book?

"Untamed" by Glennon Doyle is a powerful manifesto that encourages women to break free from societal expectations and rediscover their authentic selves. This book is especially relevant for those interested in feminist perspectives on personal growth, mental health, and self-care.

About the Author

Glennon Doyle is a renowned activist, speaker, and bestselling author infamous for her open conversations pertaining to recovery, empowerment, and family life. Glennon Doyle wrote “Untamed” after Love Warrior and Carry On, warrior where she focuses on personal struggles and societal issues. ‘Untamed’ aims to motivate women to live based on their inner beliefs as opposed to having them dictated.

Book Overview

Publication Details	Publication Details: Published in 2020 by The Dial Press
Format Availability	Hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook
Main Focus	The book focuses on the journey of self-discovery and breaking free from societal norms to live authentically.

Publication Details

Publication Details: Published in 2020 by The Dial Press

Format Availability

Hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook

Main Focus

The book focuses on the journey of self-discovery and breaking free from societal norms to live authentically.

Key Themes and Insights

The book "Untamed" by Glennon Doyle discusses many profound themes and insights that are aimed at questioning and deconstructing traditional norms and challenging individual liberation:

Challenge Societal Expectations on Women: Urges to question societal expectations placed on women, arguing for defining one's own path instead of being tied up in set roles.
Living Authenticity: This encourages authenticity, listening to one's inner voice, and doing what the soul wants, instead of playing the role that society asks for.
Emotional Honesty: Represents the power of being emotionally honest as a personal growth tool. Doyle further relates that the only way towards authentic relationships is by acknowledging and expressing true feelings.
Empowerment through Vulnerability: She further describes how embracing vulnerability may lead to empowerment because, according to her, 'true power comes from facing fears and insecurities'.
Motherhood Redefined: Challenges traditional perceptions of motherhood, proposing a model where mothers pursue personal fulfillment and happiness as a priority alongside raising children.
Resilience and Transformation: Inspires resilience by sharing personal stories of overcoming adversity, underscoring the ability to transform pain into power.

These themes resonate deeply, offering readers a framework for examining their lives and the courage to live more aligned with their true selves.

Practical Applications

The book "Untamed" by Glennon Doyle is one-of-a-kind with incredibly useful and practical advice to start on a journey of self-exploration and freedom.

The first one is Self-Reflection and Writing: which captures a reader’s true beliefs and wishes. From here, readers can start by practicing self-reflection, and suggestions are made to maintain a journal that keeps notes on feelings and thoughts that come into view during self-reflection.
Second is Creating Boundaries: Boundaries must be firmly communicated to family, colleagues, and friends. This tough step ensures that time, energy, and even emotions can be taken care of better.
Third is Routines on Self-Care: Some critics may say that exercising, meditating, and pursuing hobbies are not key practices, but they absolutely are due to how valuable self-care techniques are that boost one’s mental state.
Fifth is Learning Empowerment: Recommend reading works in feminist literature that provide empowerment and counter gender norms. Isn't that amazing?
The final one is Empathetic Parenting: Parents must pursue personal growth while making sure children are raised with values of authentic and emotional honesty.

These actionable steps help users move away from social pressures and lead a more self-sufficient and authentic life.

Strengths of the Book

Being an impactful and compelling read, ‘Untamed’ by Glennon Doyle serves as a perfect guide for women against societal constraints.

Empowering Tone: The book perfectly carves its way through the lives and struggles of readers pulling aid through empowerment.
Universality of Themes: While the text addresses women’s issues, the ability to self-realize, escape from societal norms, and self-actualize relates to everyone. This increases its reach even further.
Actionable Advice: Doyle is not only motivational but guides on how to make changes as well. Her tips for self-interrogation, boundary setting, and relationship building are economical and can be implemented right away.
Engaging Writing Style: Doyle’s writing is simple yet captivating. She seamlessly blends stories with philosophy and makes the difficult easy.
Cultural Relevance: The book contributes to the ongoing discussions about gender, self-care, and autonomy, which makes it very useful at this particular point in time.

These aforementioned benefits do not just make “Untamed” a memoir, but also an instrument of change, activating the desire to be free and true to oneself.

Critique and Limitations

Subjective Experience: This book primarily relies on Doyle’s personal experiences which might not resonate with everyone.
Prescriptive Nature: This may feel overly prescriptive if one’s background and experiences differ from Doyle’s.

What Made This Book Popular?

Timeliness: Captures today's emerging social movements focused on women’s empowerment and being authentic.
Doyle's Reputation: Doyle's existing fan base from her other works and online platforms.
Emotional Resonance: Connects with readers in a profound way with its refreshing and unapologetic storytelling.

Comparison with Similar Books

"Untamed" can be compared to "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert, both offering transformative insights on self-discovery and defying traditional life paths, but "Untamed" provides a more direct call to action for personal liberation.

Who Should Read This Book?

Women Seeking Empowerment: Especially the women dealing with personal or professional transitions.
Fans of Memoirs and Personal Essays: Those looking for detailed complex stories that challenge the society around them.
Mental Health Advocates: People willing to delve into the social aspects of the health of an individual.

Memorable Quotes or Excerpts

"We can do hard things."

Conclusion

It is without doubt that Untamed is a book that needs to be read by those attempting to break free from the norms and seek to live their lives as they intend to. The book is awarded 4.5 out of 5 for aims, tackles, and shifts the reader’s perspective towards the notion of freedom and being oneself as one chooses for the better. This book is not only compelling but also gives every woman realistic ways to be the author of their own life narrative.