Book Club From Home discussion
Untamed
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Part 1 & Part 2
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alyssa
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Apr 26, 2020 08:58AM
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Hello Alyssa and everyone! I just want to say thank you again for letting me be a part of this book club from home, it’s so exciting to finally be sharing with you all!
So, normally, I am an avid fiction reader. I’m really into fantasy and vampires and edgy, dark books lol so Untamed has been a really refreshing read for me so far.
I think that Glennon Doyle does a great job of making her very personal story somewhat relatable. I think we have all gone through some sort of crisis at some point in our lives, and her ideas about “cages” seems both new and familiar.
I think what she means by cages are the worlds expectations for us, as women, whether it be from our parents, society, religion or whatever. It’s kind of scary to think that some or all of our goals are just the goals we’ve been taught to want, not what we really want ourselves.
This book is SO much different than our last book but I feel that while it is totally different, it is still very powerful. Within the first two parts of this book, there were many things that struck me as important or made me think. I really enjoyed how Glennon Doyle used this story of a cheetah to open up her book. The cheetah had been raised at the zoo and never known the wild, but still on some level knows that there is something more out there. Her instinct tells her this, but those around her (handlers, spectators, etc) all enforce this idea that the cheetah has a good life and should be grateful for what she has. This story really was impactful to me because it really is able to illustrate how many women are raised. There may be this "wild side" that dreams of more but we are also told that we should be grateful for what we have and that it could be crazy to long for more.
The reason why the cheetah story resonated so much with me was that I have felt like that cheetah at times. There have been plenty of times where that "wild side" comes into my mind and I want more but on some level (family, friends, or society) has told me that to dream of more would be silly and that I should be thankful for what I have in front of me. I like that this book is bringing light to this topic because I feel as though girls and women all around the globe have this reinforced into our upbringing from such a young age. I even see it as a kindergarten teacher. My boys have been told they are good at math and play rough and tumble games where as when my girls try to show their abilities in math or join in on those games even the other students put them down and brush them off as not being able to participate becuase they are a girl. Almost as if already at the age fo 5 children are preprogrammed with the idea that a girl trying to excel at certain tasks it too "wild". What are your thoughts or experiences with this idea?
Another idea from this book that really stood out was her idea of this "Knowing" inside of us and her journey to discover it. I really found it interesting how she talked about accessing her own Knowing by sitting quietly with herself. I view this as my inner voice who helps guide me through tough decisions and self-care. What are your thoughts and ideas on this inner knowing? How do you reach this part of wisdom inside of you?
I agree, this book is different. I enjoyed reading the first two sections and honetly I am glad we're reading this. Glennon Doyle is very inspiring and she remains open about her life. This is the kind of book where I cannot stop reading. It brings attention to all the gender roles and rules we are "suppose" to follow in this world. The part "feel" in the book really spoke to me. It is true, we canstill feel it all and still survive and we can use the pain to become something stronger. Also, the idea of women exceling is hard for most men to accept. But that does not stop us. I really like that this book is filled hopefull messages.
I like Glennon’s writing style because it’s very descriptive and emotional. Her polar bear chapter resonated with me and actually made me really sad for a couple of minutes. On a more positive note, I thought the way she described meeting Abby was very cute and I was happy to read about Glennon working to reclaim her life. I’m excited to read the rest of the book and hopefully it’ll be just as interesting!
Hey everyone!So far this book is pleasantly reaffirming and comforting to read as a whole, but I am surprised with the direction that the overall book has taken. I have decided that Glennon's style of writing is incredibly metaphorical and remains vastly ambiguous so that she can reach her audience. It is definitely a "feel-good" style book that matches the tone and structure of a self-help book. I have to say, that I am not usually a fan of these self-help books. They all have a tendency to sound a bit redundant and repetitive. I almost wish this book was written in a narrative story format where we can actually go on the journey with Glennon through her moment of opening up to her true self and no longer accepting the traditional molds of what she is supposed to be as a white, Christian woman in America. The best part about her writing so far is when she breaks down her experience with her husband, her bulimia, the moment she meets Abby, how she transcends all expectations.
There are definitely "quotable" moments and sentences that make her instructions on how to be untamed worth while.
I personally related to the idea of the "Tick marks" story where there is an overarching grasp that we do to fit in with the golden circle of people that look like they have everything positive going for themselves. She mentioned that their goal was to make it look like there was something important happening within the circle. She mentioned that nothing much happening within the circle once she was in it, but their job was to make it look like there was.
There was another moment when Glennon speaks about how pain is necessary to feel as a feeling. It is important to feel all emotions, even the ones that can hurt. She made allusions to spiritual leaders that have had to feel pain to thrive and to overcome and feel a spiritual awakening. Life is about feeling feelings and not about numbing ourselves to the pain via consumer culture, food, alcohol, drugs, etc.
Overall, it is an easy, feel-good read. I hope Glennon adds some dynamic twists and turns to the plot so that it doesn't become a rigorous sprint through self-help quotes. I hope she unzips more of her personal journey to the reader as we read on :)
Nina wrote: "This book is SO much different than our last book but I feel that while it is totally different, it is still very powerful. Within the first two parts of this book, there were many things that stru..."I loved the idea of sitting with ourselves and really taking a moment to trust our "knowing" in the process. I think this is relatable to the idea of meditation and gut instincts. As we fit ourselves into the boxes that society has provided for us, we smash down and ignore certain instincts that come to us that may not match the confines of that box. If we take time to sit and listen to ourselves, it might be shocking and exploratory to find out what we have to say to ourselves. It makes me want to get back into daily meditations. It is just so difficult to sit still and quiet! Maybe I will take her advice on sitting in the closet, :)
Susie wrote: "I agree, this book is different. I enjoyed reading the first two sections and honetly I am glad we're reading this. Glennon Doyle is very inspiring and she remains open about her life. This is the ..."I loved the discussion about gender in this book! She has a powerful way of making women come to their senses of what we are capable of.
I am still in shock over the moment when she decided to go to her therapist and discuss how her husband has cheated on her and she can't have sex with him because she either feels too much or she is numb to him. As she crumbles her personal story to the therapist, the therapist responds by asking if she had tried an impersonal blow job. This part was incredibly frustrating and disappointing to hear. She needs reaffirming advice, and instead she got a society-fueled apathetic robot comment.
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I had expected to feel “talked down to” or “preached at” as I read this self-help style book, but Glennon is personable. She really has no shame admitting mistakes, which I like. It makes her more human, more relatable.
Her anecdote about offering snacks to her son and his friends really resonated with me. I can remember being a teenager and making sure that I only ate as much as the other girls around me...no matter how hungry I was :/
Glennon’s small observations have opened my eyes to societal/gender norms that I hadn’t bothered to notice before. I probably ask myself what other people think I should do before I ask myself what I want to do a lot of the time. Hopefully I’ll unlearn some of that.
There are some parts that I thought were a little cheesy...like Glennon talking about her love at first sight experience with Abby, but maybe I’m just jaded lol I do feel like she’s writing candidly and I appreciate that.
I really enjoyed these first parts and am looking forward to what’s next. Like Alyssa, I hope it doesn’t become redundant. But so far I’m into it!
Hey guys!So so far I am definitely enjoying this book! I am already a really anxious person, so with everything that's going on right now, I feel like this is the perfect book for me to read right now. Although I don't find her story 100% relatable and some parts can be cheesy like the parts that Alyssa said, where she talks about seeing Abby for the first time. But overall, this book is definitely needed for me. I enjoy the parts of her story and her process that she is sharing regarding how to learn to trust the process of God/the universe and how to look into her own Knowing to find happiness and make decisions. It's definitely hard to release the need to control everything in that moment, but being able to take 10 minutes to reflect and "sink" in order to find out what you want for yourself, it's hard to learn and I admire for being able to take that role and being able to let go of her past pains and past difficulties and be able to trust in herself. That is something I wish to learn.
I also agree with everyone regarding those gender/societal expectations she talks about and how they have become subconscious rules we have created for ourselves and feel guilty for not following those rules. I loved reading about her strength and the strength of other women to find what they need and want for themselves outside of the expectations that were pressured onto them since childhood.
I'm excited to continue reading and to continue learning about her life and resonating with her words. I do agree, I hope it doesn't become too preachy or too redundant with her words and insight. So far it's good! I have high expectations for the following sections :)
