Untamed
Untamed By Glennon Doyle. Narrated by: Glennon Doyle Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins Unabridged Audiobook Release date: 03-10-20 Language: English Publisher: Random House Audio.
It is rare when an author can move me from a belly laugh to tears within the space of a five-minute story, but Glennon Doyle does this repeatedly in Untamed. Her poignancy and hilarious honesty were totally unexpected in what I thought was going to be a self-help book!
I found this title through a referral from someone I know whose tastes in reading are similar to mine. Lately we have both been immersed in nonfiction titles on leadership, management, and antiracism. When she recommended this title, I was fully anticipating that it would be directly related to one of those topics.
Imagine my surprise when, within the first few minutes of the very first story, Glennon Doyle has become my good friend. She has drawn a complete picture not just of the cheetah that she and her daughter are observing, but of the life I and so many of the women I know have been living! I was hooked, and she has not let me down since.
Glennon’s ability to take her experiences and relate them to something universal is a touchstone of this book. Her honesty about her eating disorder, alcoholism, and failed marriage allow the reader/listener to connect with her as a real person – a less than perfect person – who is willing to open herself to the world through writing powerful memoirs about her experiences.
A little background on Glennon Doyle – after her early battles with bulimia, alcohol, and drugs, she was faced with an unplanned pregnancy in her 20s. This pregnancy was a lifeline, as it was the realization that she wanted to be a mother to this child that allowed her to tap into her own stubbornness and use it to motivate her to clean up. Glennon got married, found God, and started her writing career. As her family and her success grew, Glennon was certain she was living the perfect life. Then she met the love of her life, and she knew that her perfect life was a perfect lie.
Glennon Doyle was swept off her feet by Abby Wambach, a retired soccer player and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. When people told her that she would lose both her family and career by coming out, Glennon decided “I’m willing to lose anything that requires me to hide any part of myself.” This radical self-acceptance is a message so many of us need to hear, whether we are members of the LGBTQ community or simply people wondering why we have spent so much of our time and energy pleasing others.
Much of Glennon’s insight comes from her close relationship with her family. As the mother of three, her reflections on what it means to be a mother and what a mother’s responsibility is to her children provide her with some of the most moving insights she shares with readers. In addition, her humor rings true when she says “It’s so important to be a bad parent often. This way if our kids become parents, they will be able to forgive themselves for being human – Because they’ve seen us do it.”
Check out Untamed as an audio, eBook or book today. Other titles by Glennon Doyle include Love Warrior and Carry On, Warrior.
Deana Cunningham is the Associate Director of Operations for Alamance County Public Libraries. She can be reached at dcunningham@alamancelibraries.org.
