Rising Strong by Brené Brown // My Anticipation Was Really Worth It

Friday 8 July 2016
Rising Strong, by Brené Brown
Publication: August 25, 2015, by Spiegel and Grau
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: 

The physics of vulnerability is simple: If we are brave enough often enough, we will fall. The author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Daring Greatly and The Gifts of Imperfection tells us what it takes to get back up, and how owning our stories of disappointment, failure, and heartbreak gives us the power to write a daring new ending. Struggle, Brené Brown writes, can be our greatest call to courage, and rising strong our clearest path to deeper meaning, wisdom, and hope.

My Thoughts:

I normally never have the chance to pick up non-fiction books like this that focus on psychology or actual real concepts like bravery, but thanks to BookExpo America in 2015, I had the chance to read this highly anticipated read of mine. Ever since I entered high school, I have been really interested in psychology and the way that the human mind works and how we intake emotions and let them out. Brené Brown's new book was a real buzz book at BEA last year, with a huge media showcase where the stairs at the Javis Center were even covered with the cover of this book. The cover is pretty bland, a few colours in an ombré kind of showcase, but I didn't read this for some kind of signs of Young Adult fiction. This is a real book, the realest out of the real. This book is about leaping for chances, having courage, and showing that everyone undergoes anxiety from time to time, even adults who seem to show that they have succeeded in life, just like Brené has. She is such an intelligent writer and person, and seriously, Rising Strong was fabulous.



Each one of Brené's books, as she mentioned in this one, focuses on a different concept of the human mind. There is one about daring, one about imperfection (which I should take a look at, since I am a perfectionist) and this one rolls into strength, especially emotional and mental strength. Some authors prove their "points" or "theses" by simple research, which I adore, but sometimes it takes such a turn where it is strict info-dumping. Brené uses real-life situations that she or some people she knows have undergone. I love that. It proves that everyone has moments of rising strong and a fall. 


"We've all fallen, and we have the skinned knees and bruised hearts to prove it. But scars are easier to talk about than they are to show, with all the remembered feelings laid bare. And rarely do we see wounds that are in the process of healing. I'm not sure if it's because we feel too much shame to let anyone see a process as intimate as overcoming hurt, or if it's because even when we muster the courage to share our still-incomplete healing, people reflexively look away" (xxiv).

Rising Strong is just such a new read for me and I have fallen in love with the genre of psychology and self-help. Not because I need the help or anything (okay, sometimes) but I love the heart-to-heart analysis of the situations that we have to go through in life. Brené talks about her kids, husband, family and how they affect the way she lives today. I could see why her books are highly praised. I read this book at school in English class, but not for the class itself. I read it because my teacher had us bring in a silent reading novel and I chose this, knowing that (a) it'll make me look smart (haha) and (b) it's the perfect way for me to enjoy it, at an educational environment. My friends were kind of shocked that I was reading it because it's normally not my cup of tea; I tend to stay within the YA genre. I loved it from the start.



You won't understand everything about the physics of vulnerability, but it makes a lot of sense when you put it into perspective, or into Brené's perspective. This is a book that'll make you want to take notes and go back to them one day. It's just that smart. I am really looking forward to reading Brown's other works and perhaps seeing the acclaimed TED talk she gave on this subject.


"I love maps not because they dictate the route or tell me when or how to travel, but simply because they mark the waypoints I will eventually visit. Knowing that these places exist and that they are well traveled, even if they are unexplored by me, is powerful" (39).





Rising Strong expresses the physics of vulnerability and how each of us have it inside of us. We have to rise strong, and this book seriously taught us how to do it. This is definitely recommended to those who just want to sit with a book and really, really enjoy it.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher via BookExpo America in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*


What are some other good self-help books, or books about psychology? Have you seen Brené's TED talk or read any of her books?

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