Women & Shame: Reaching Out, Speaking Truths And Building Connection

by Brené Brown

In this compelling and provocative book, Dr. Brené Brown explores the complexities of shame and its silent and secretive influence over women’s lives. Dr. Brown spent four years interviewing over 200 women about shame and its impact on the way they live, love, parent, work and develop relationships. The raw honesty and painful truths of these interviews make it clear that shame continues to play a significant and damaging role in women’s lives. Yet, through a compassionate weaving of informal anecdotes, thought-provoking illustrations, ground-breaking research and personal insights, Dr. Brown delivers a promising message of hope: We are all capable of overcoming shame and of helping other women and girls do the same.

Throughout the book, Dr. Brown shares information, ideas and strategies for understanding shame across a wide range of topics, including appearance, sex, body image, motherhood, parenting, health, aging, family, addiction and religion. In a clear and accessible format, supported by poignant and relevant case examples, the book identifies and explains four key elements that allow women to transform shame into connection, power and freedom.

Regardless of who we are, how we were raised or what we believe, all of us fight the silent and lonely battles of not being enough, not having enough and not belonging enough. Women and Shame teaches us how to move from isolation to connection and inspires us to reach out to others who also need to hear "You are not alone."

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Feminism, Personal Growth, Mental Health, Health

234 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston, where she holds
the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work. She
also holds the position of visiting professor in management at The University of Texas at
Austin McCombs School of Business.

Brené has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and
empathy. She is the author of six #1 New York Times bestsellers and is the host of two
award-winning podcasts, Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead.

Brené’s books have been translated into more than 30 languages, and her titles
include Atlas of the Heart, Dare to Lead, Braving the Wilderness, Rising Strong,
Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection. With Tarana Burke, she co-edited the
bestselling anthology You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and
the Black Experience.

Brené’s TED talk on the Power of Vulnerability is one of the top five most-viewed TED
talks in the world, with over 60 million views. She spends most of her time working in
organizations around the world, helping develop braver leaders and more courageous
cultures. In 2024, she was named as the executive director of The Center for Daring
Leadership at BetterUp.

She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Steve. They have two children, Ellen and
Charlie, and a weird Bichon named Lucy.

Reviews

[Ashley Rothberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was phenomenal! I read it for my job because I work with women in the mental health field. This opened my eyes to a lot of new ideas that explain a good amount of how and society acts the way it does. I am just floored at how much impact shame has had (and is having) in my life. I would recommend this for everyone, I think it's so applicable and appropriate for every woman's life.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written by one of my professors, and I've been meaning to read it. She just came out with a new one, so I have to get caught up.

[Jacki McClure · Rating 5 out of 5]

Up to Brene Brown's standards.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! Men feel guilt but women feel shame. Do you know the difference between the two? If you haven't read this book, my guess is you do not...

[Marsmannix · Rating 3 out of 5]

i put over 30 post-it flags in this book to pull quotes.

[Alicia Snyder · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing styles was slightly disorganized and not as clear as Brene Brown's later books. Even though not all of it was applicable or helpful, I did glean some important things from this book.