Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Overall, I enjoyed the book. My favorite piece of this particular book was her acronym BRAVING which she uses in each of her Practices chapters, making them a more dimensional and practical. I’ve read Brown before, and this book is similar to her other books, almost a continuation from Rising Strong. But in this book, she addresses the issues of communication in a polarizing culture.
The example that stood out most to me was the conversation she had with a woman about gun control after the Newtown shootings. Brown’s beliefs about the issue were more nuanced than the woman wanted them to be. The woman was looking for an either/or camp. Which side was Brown on? Slight spoiler, Brown was on her own side.
And that’s pretty much what the book is about. How to be patient in listening, not quickly putting people in one camp or the other, being generous and allowing people to have complex thought, not immediately needing to always have an answer, being okay with delaying that answer or hearing more of what the other had to say.
The only criticism I have for the book is that a lot of her values match a lot of my values or at least a lot of my friend’s opinions on social matters, so the book doesn’t seem very off-putting and I am able to get the gist of the content. But, I could see someone else reading this with a more conservative background and having a hard time with the examples. It seemed like only people who did not have a conservative view actually experienced the wilderness, which may not always be the case. I’ve seen instances around me when I’m around my more liberal friends that when a conservative friend speaks up, it’s harder for them in that setting to do so. But I think this content would benefit anyone who is frustrated with the social circles around them, with the lack of healthy communication. Also, I think this book coming out just a few months before the holidays is almost perfect timing.
No matter what “camp” you feel you fit into or don’t fit into, I would highly recommend this book for anyone that needs some encouragement while trying to navigate the very divided country we are living in at the moment. Not only does it give tools to communicate, but also to listen.

I also wanted to let you know that I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  These are all things I have used personally.  I wouldn’t recommend something I haven’t tried myself.  Thanks!