If you’ve been on any book review sites or social media pages lately, you know that everyone is buzzing about Glennon Doyle’s new book Untamed. Doyle is an activist, feminist, and inspirational speaker and uses her third book to explore her journey from self-loathing through her search for perfection and then to finding and listening to her untamed inner truth. Her honesty, unmistakable grace and patience for herself, and contentment with “slow growth” is an invitation to readers to reflect upon their own inner truths and live wildly and unabashedly as their true selves. Whether you’ve already gotten a chance to read this inspiring memoir or are waiting for your hold to hit the shelf, you might find yourself drawn to the following similar works.
Untamed actually isn’t Doyle’s first memoir. In 2013 she published Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life. This collection of refreshing and laugh-out-loud essays invite readers to believe in themselves, to be brave and kind, and to let go of the idea of perfection. In her attempt to love herself, Doyle gives you a wise and witty friend who encourages you to do the same. She continues her journey of self-discovery in her follow-up memoir Love Warrior. After the implosion of her marriage, Doyle turns her brutal journey into a beautiful story of seeking out deeper, truer relationships and a more abundant, authentic life.
You’ll need to look no further than Reese Witherspoon’s “Hello Sunshine” book club for more books similar to Doyle’s. Recommended by the actress in January of 2018, Brené Brown’s Braving the Wilderness argues that we are experiencing a spiritual crisis of disconnection. She offers readers the clarity and courage we need to find our way back to ourselves and each other. Ann Patchett’s This is the Story of a Happy Marriage is another Reese recommendation. In it, Patchett tells readers the story of her life, stretching from her childhood to the present day, and from a disastrous early marriage to a later happy one.
If you’re interested in the theme of self discovery but would rather immerse yourself in some fiction, we’ve got you covered there too! Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine tells the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes the only way to survive is to open her heart. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng explores the weight of family and community secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood - and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster. If you’d rather watch this story unfold, it has also been adapted into a series for Hulu and stars Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon.
Doyle's honesty, unmistakable grace and patience for herself, and contentment with “slow growth” is an invitation to readers to reflect upon their own inner truths and live wildly and unabashedly as their true selves.Whether you’ve already gotten a chance to read this inspiring memoir or are waiting for your hold to hit the shelf, you might find yourself drawn to the following similar works.
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