​Book of the Month: Braving the Wilderness

Although this book was published three years ago, Brené Brown’s Braving the Wilderness crossed my radar for the first time a couple of months ago. I instantly connected with Brown’s voice and skillful storytelling, her research and content, and her advice for making changes in how we live and interact with others. I read it three times in the course of six weeks! In short, it was a revelation. 
 
Braving the Wilderness addressed the uneasy and nagging feeling I had had for several years…if we’re all so connected—24/7, in every technological mode possible—then why are we no longer connected to each other in meaningful ways? Brown, with years of social research backing her up, discusses how being true to ourselves with respect to our beliefs and our emotional and spiritual needs will set us free. But before we can be free, we will likely cross into the wilderness and stand alone because we can expect to be mocked, shamed, or ridiculed for our positions and actions by the very people who claim to have our backs. But it is not until we brave the wilderness that we truly belong—to ourselves and to others.
 
Enlightening and uplifting, Braving the Wilderness is a must read for anyone who has felt ill-at-ease with how our culture handles dissension of thoughts and ideas, has experienced disconnection or loneliness, and desires a sense of belonging to oneself and the world.

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