Customer Reviews

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to be and Embrace Who You are

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EXCELLENT BOOK... I came across the Brene Browns web site via another 'self-help' motivational blogger. I found what she had to say made such sense without using overly academic language. This is the same with book - After recommending to many friends I found many had already bought the book and also thought it inspiring It deals with very personal issues of a persons own self-image and is wonderfully uplifting. She makes overcoming personal issue achievable. Brene Brown has spent many years researching this topic and it was good to read her own personal account of how she overcame and continues to work on her life. I really think that the fact that it is 'easy' and interesting reading helps. Highly Recommended - Wish she'd written 30 years ago!

I originally bought this as a kindle download, but then found it such an important book to me that I bought the hard copy too. Reading it alongside the authors other book on the subject, has started me on the path to feeling differently about myself and helped me to make some exciting changes in my life. Just as importantly, it has helped me to talk to other women including my daughters, about the issues she raises, and have found her findings to be relevent to nearly every woman. Most self help books leave me cold, but this author is definitely relevent to me. The only thing I would say is I am glad I read her other book, "I thought it was just me, but it isnt",first as its weightier and introduces some of her concepts in greater depth. Ideally read the two together and pass them round your important people.

See her talk on TED (google brene brown ted) and buy the book. I did. There is more in some of her (almost) throwaway comments than there is in some self-help books. She explains patiently but convincingly why you must be yourself: trying to fit in to what you think others want of you is a way to lose your soul. Buy the book because no one else will be so positive about shame; buy the book because it explains why happiness is not enough; buy the book because it's life affirming - she's been there, got it wrong and can tell you how and why.

I bought this book a few weeks ago, after watching a YouTube clip on Worthiness. I loved the thinking and her honesty. It deals with shame, guilt, perfectionism - all of which seems to run together, and all of which prevent us living our life to the full. I've recommended it to everyone I know and passed copies on, blogged about it at happinessvirus (wordpress) and on Facebook... It's one of those books that everyone should read...

I'm not going to add anything about the book content, I think the other reviews give enough information there. Instead I'll tell you what reading the book has done for me. Before I read this book I was knee deep in shame and misery and wondered where to find the help I needed. I have read plenty of 'self-help' books but I have never read anything that inspired me to change how I viewed myself and the world so much. I've also read Brené's other book - I Thought It Was Just Me... and this is another must read, but if you have to choose then 'The Gifts of Imperfection' is the one. Whilst it doesn't replace therapy and having good support networks it certainly enables you to work out why you're worth working for. I've given copies to people and recommended the book to others.

I first heard of Brene Brown on a TED talk. I really like the personable way in which she writes. She is not afraid to research difficult emotional concepts and she includes many personal, brave and courageous anecdotes.

Brené Brown courageously exposes the nature and roots of her feelings of unworthiness and destructive behaviours, which she suddently discovers - to her utter shock - in the course of her own academic research into shame. Through sifting through her own experiences and thousands of contributions from correspondents, she forges her definitions of courage, compassion, and connection. She describes how she tackles the dark emotions that get in the way of leading a fuller life full of courage, compassion, and connection. I would recommend reading this encouraging book, as it may help you rediscover your own courage and personal resources. It has certainly encouraged me to read more books by Brene Brown.

Having seen her TED talk on The Power of vulnerability I was drawn to the books and have read this one in just a couple of days. It seems to capture so much of what has been going round in my head but that I had no words for. Finally I realise it is not about being good enough or not good enough. Simply be enough! Don't read this book if you are not prepared to open your mind and heart!

I bought this book when I was going through a really difficult personal time. I was suffering from depression, and was always so down on myself. I found that this book was very helpful to help me forgive myself for my short comings and accept who I am, and also has helped me in raising my son...the advice is very good, and calls attention to how people tend to use shame to get what they want. I highly recommend this book.

I don't say "life-changing" very often especially when it comes to self-help books, as there is so much dross out there. However, Brene Brown's book is an amazing revelation. I am one of those people who's a chronic perfectionist and has always struggled with just being real, being me, feeling that this is enough. My coach recommended this book around the same time that a friend sent me a link to Brene Brown's TEDx Talk on the subject of vulnerability & shame (highly recommended - google it!).

Her style of writing makes it feel like she's a friend telling you all of this fascinating stuff over a coffee. Her work is heavily research based so I have no doubts about its validity - and the real kicker is that not only is (was) she a perfectionist herself but her research led her on this journey of discovery which resulted in a "breakdown" and a total realigning of her values and ideas about self-worth and feeling "I am enough". I've always found most texts on self worth etc to just fail to hit the mark, but Brown's book hit me between the eyes; perhaps the time in my life was perfect and I was ready to receive the message. I've already had some amazing results having embraced the idea of imperfection and vulnerability, in terms of having some very real, very close friendships develop.

So to summarise the last paragraph, as well as being research-based, she backs this up with her own experiences, as well as countless experiences of other people who've posted to her website/blog.

Where the book fell short of expectations (only a little), is that I don't feel it does quite enough to help the reader figure out how to apply it to their lives. Brown divides the book up into 10 "guideposts" (sub-concepts, basically) and at the end of each guidepost chapter she gives a kid of an exercise to make you think about how you can apply it (sometimes using her own examples of how she achieves this). But I found these a bit brief and was left wanting more "how-to". Maybe I'm lazy, or expecting too much, but I was kinda hoping for a little more instruction/direction. That said, perhaps I'm being naive - perhaps it simply isn't feasible or possible to do that, because each person is unique, and so are their circumstances.

One of the most subtle but fundamental effects this book will have on you, is that by the end of it you will feel like you know Brene Brown, that you see her as a vulnerable imperfect lovely person whom you could meet randomly by chance and have a great conversation with, a real honest conversation with no b.s. and no pretence. But that is not the fundamental subtle effect I'm talking about - what I'm saying is that this nice feeling towards her, is an implicit demonstration of how vulnerability and imperfection and being real, are the very qualities that foster better & deeper connections with other human beings. Her book is one giant demonstration of how her own honesty and courage make her a wonderful person - she leads by example time and time again and this is what makes this book incredible - she didn't just research & publish something, she lived it and breathed it, then had the courage to include her very personal experiences in the book. This I feel is leading by example, and inspired me to have the courage to drop the b.s. pretence and be myself.

If you buy this book, bear in mind that you will have to read it twice. Why? Because the first time you read it, you'll be pretty riveted and won't want to stop reading to take notes or write down any ideas you have about how to apply it to your own life. I plan to read it a second time and to write a page or so of bullet-points, things to apply to daily life. The concepts are of course going to be new to many of you, so don't be surprised if you don't get it at first. As in all areas of life, breakthroughs are often preceded by confusion!

I'd like to see a 2nd edition of this book come out some day with some more specific methods of applying this. That said, Brene Brown has had a major impact on me and I'm very grateful for it - I really think her work could change a lot of peoples' lives.