I read Untamed in less than a week. Devoured would probably be a more accurate term. This book made me sit up and pay attention to life, to myself, to my family, to our world and the messes we get ourselves into.

There is a voice of longing inside each woman. We strive so mightily to be good: good partners, daughters, mothers, employees, and friends. We hope all this striving will make us feel alive. Instead, it leaves us feeling weary, stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed. We look at our lives and wonder: Wasn’t it all supposed to be more beautiful than this? We quickly silence that question, telling ourselves to be grateful, hiding our discontent—even from ourselves.

Soulful and uproarious, forceful and tender, Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is the story of navigating divorce, forming a new blended family, and discovering that the brokenness or wholeness of a family depends not on

its structure but on each member’s ability to bring her full self to the table. And it is the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts so that we become women who can finally look at ourselves and say: There She Is.

Untamed shows us how to be brave. As Glennon insists: The braver we are, the luckier we get.

This is the first Glennon Doyle book I’ve read, and I’ll confess I picked it up out of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Everyone was reading this book! I didn’t want to miss out or be left out of the conversation. I am so glad I did. This time, on-trend-peer-pressure pushed me in a good direction.

I don’t agree with everything Glennon shares in the book, BUT, that didn’t really matter. Glennon shares her life experiences and thoughts in a way that made me think about how I personally felt about the topics she was presenting. However, more often than disagreeing or being forced to come up with my own position, my insides shouted, “YES! THIS!” and my pen came out. I have not underlined a book this much since I read Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert, who coincidentally enough (or maybe, not?) is a good friend of Glennon’s and makes a few cameos in this book. I loved the things I’ve underlined SO MUCH, that I wanted to record and reflect on them. I wrote each quote in my journal. I post-it noted several chapters for my husband to read. I went to an in person book club (yes, my first post-covid book event, and it wasn’t even my event) to talk about this book with other women. Upon visting Glennon’s website while researching this article I discovered her store and immediately purchased all sorts of UNTAMED SWAG. Yes, it really is THAT good.

I picked out a few of my favorite quotes to share with you today. Even if you don’t get your own copy to highlight and cherish, which, really, you definitely should, you can soak up these tidbits of wisdom. Glennon writes about everything from love to parenting to racism. She tackles it all and ultimately, I felt graeful to witness a woman being so many things… for living outside the box, untamed, in her own way. It was exhilarating, refreshing and helpful.

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