Untamed – Glennon Doyle
This article was originally published in German. The English version is an automatic translation and may contain errors. The German original is authoritative.
TW: Alcohol abuse
In various short chapters, Glennon Doyle reports in an honest and authentic way about experiences and events from her life. She tells how, since she was ten years old, she began to hold herself back and adapt to expectations. How she learned to play her role as a woman in front of others – to make herself small and neglect herself for the sake of others. Always smiling nicely, even when she didn't feel like it, constantly monitoring her behaviour and losing sight of herself and her true nature. In this context, she speaks of the beliefs she was brought up with and which shaped her even in important life decisions in her adulthood. For example, she tells of her unhappy marriage, in which she stays for a long time simply to meet society's expectations of a self-sacrificing mother. Moreover, she also reports on raising her children, her long-standing alcohol dependency and her new love for her current wife.
"Untamed" is an inspiring book, more of a self-help book than a mere autobiography, which – in my opinion – everyone should read at least once. However, it is by no means light summer reading; rather, it addresses uncomfortable topics and directly challenges readers to reflect on their own life situation and their deeply rooted beliefs. Although the book can be criticised due to the author's Christian-oriented background, it nevertheless conveys many valuable messages and food for thought for self-reflection and thus triggers a wave of empowerment. What particularly impressed me was the chapter on the subject of pain, in which Glennon Doyle insists that healing from pain always requires feeling all feelings. With her book, Doyle shows us in such an impressive way what it means when people stop adapting through their taming and finally come into their power and free themselves. I can give a strong recommendation for the book, as it is a wonderful guide in the search for the true, wild, self-determined and free self that slumbers within us and waits to finally break out of the cage. In this context, Glennon Doyle gives very central advice to take with you: Be loud and take up space, stand up for your opinion and set boundaries. Trust your intuition and ultimately yourself.
Paulina Carl