Braving the Wilderness

Oct 9, 2024 4:20 PM

Author:Brené Brown

A timely and important new book that challenges everything we think we know about cultivating true belonging in our communities, organizations, and culture, from the #1 bestselling author of Rising Strong, Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection.

‘True belonging doesn't require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.’ Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives – experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarisation. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping out a clear path to true belonging.

Brown argues that what we're experiencing today is a spiritual crisis of disconnection, and introduces four practices of true belonging that challenge everything we believe about ourselves and each other. She writes, ‘True belonging requires us to believe in and belong to ourselves so fully that we can find sacredness both in both being a part of something, and in standing alone when necessary. But in a culture that's rife with perfectionism and pleasing, and with the erosion of civility, it's easy to stay quiet, hide in our ideological bunkers, or fit in rather than show up as our true selves and brave the wilderness of uncertainty and criticism. But true belonging is not something we negotiate or accomplish with others; it's a daily practice that demands integrity and authenticity. It's a personal commitment that we carry in our hearts.’ Brown offers us the clarity and courage we need to find our way back to ourselves and to each other. And that path cuts right through the wilderness. Brown writes, ‘The wilderness is an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It is a place as dangerous as it is breathtaking, a place as sought after as it is feared. But it turns out to be the place of true belonging, and it's the bravest and most sacred place you will ever stand.’

Reviews

Thanks to Brené Brown I learned how to be vulnerable… a life changer

—— Miranda Hart

Brené Brown is an important thought leader of our times … a deeply inspiring book

—— Red magazine

Stories, beautifully told, of learning to belong because you know, enjoy, admire, and forgive yourself.

—— Angela Duckworth, author of Grit

An engaging and interesting book, written comprehensibly for a non-specialist audience. You will understand your children and your former selves better for reading it and you will bust a few myths as you go.

—— The Times

There are few people more qualified to explain [adolescence] than the author of this compelling book. What I enjoyed most about this book was the readability and personal style of the narrative. Blakemore manages to present a highly accessible account of the science, without ever compromising on detail or depth…there is almost a sense that the reader is in the lab, listening in on the discussions and taking part in the decisions….This book has something to offer everyone … Blakemore provides a unique and very up-to-date insight into the changes that occur during this intriguing period.

—— Dr Catherine Loveday , The Psychologist

Refreshingly and reassuringly light and lucid in both tone and approach ...an enjoyable, accessible, and insightful book by an author at the top of her field.

—— The Lancet

A very readable book bringing together the up-to-date research about how the adolescent brain develops. This matters to both adolescents and parents but also should be read by everyone who looks after adolescents, be they teachers, doctors or psychologists.

—— Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health

Inventing Ourselves is a gripping celebration of the teenage brain. Essential reading for parents, teachers and teens.
Sane, wise, myth busting, this book is a triumph and should be read by every parent and teacher but they should be warned. They’ll have to fight their teenagers to get this gripping book out of their hands.

—— Dr Vivienne Parry OBE

The teenage brain is different, but in what way? This beautifully written book tells just how it influences and is influenced by the new challenging demands of a transformational phase of life. There is no sensationalism here. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore is a pioneer in the field and provides a meticulous account of what we know.

—— Professors Uta & Chris Frith

Inventing Ourselves is an accessible introduction both
to neuroscience and experimental psychology, covering
basic research techniques while providing an overview of
recent studies of adolescence that will be of interest even
to someone familiar with these fields. This balance is in
large part due to the author’s ability to explain nuanced
experiments with an infectious enthusiasm that engages
the reader’s curiosity. Blakemore approaches the topic with
a sympathy and respect for the adolescents she works with
that is genuinely admirable. For anyone looking back on
their teenage years, trying to raise a teenager, or working
with adolescents, this book can help foster understanding
about why adolescents act the way they do and how we
become our adult selves.

—— Robert Stirrups , Lancet Neurology

Blakemore's mission is to convince us to celebrate the adolescent brain, not problematise it. The communication of the cutting-edge evidence behind her argument represents a unique combination of scientific rigor and excitement, in a superbly engaging account of the development and malleability of the human brain. This is essential reading for educationalists – and indeed for all those interested in how young people's brains develop, and the complex interplay between the environment and the human body.

—— Professor Becky Francis, Director, UCL Institute of Education

In an engaging work of scientific analysis combined with personal anecdote, Professor Blakemore has made an extremely important contribution to the way in which society (and criminal justice in particular) should approach adolescent crime, in particular, gang or group related. The book is thought provoking and should be essential reading for all those considering this difficult issue.

—— The Rt Hon, Sir Brian Leveson, President of the Queen's Bench Division

A brainy guide to the science behind teenagers' behaviour ... Inventing Ourselves is a timely book. Blakemore points out that we sometimes put too much trust in scientific studies, which, after all, produce findings not facts, and suggests that whatever we read about neuroscience “should be swallowed with a substantial swig of scepticism”. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore nails some neuro-myths and calls out the snake-oil salesmen, but warns against throwing the neuroscience baby out with the “brain baloney” bathwater.

—— Kevin Stannard, the director of innovation and learning at the Girls’ Day School Trust , TES

Beautifully written with clarity, expertise and honesty about the most important subject for all of us. I couldn’t put it down.

—— Robert Winston

This is a fascinating book, which captures the complexity of adolescence but at the same time provides a clear, accessible account of our current understanding of the ‘teenage brain’. The underlying argument that adolescence is a period of development that should be celebrated is well made and challenges us all to rethink the way in which we relate to the adolescents with whom we come into contact at work, home or elsewhere. Given the complex changes that are going on in the ‘teenage brain’ it is no wonder we see such a variety of behaviours. As the author reminds us, the vast majority of adolescents do not go to extremes but become adults who support their families and, in their own way, contribute to society.
In this book Sarah-Jayne Blakemore has, without doubt, made neuroscience of the ‘teenage brain’ accessible to a wide audience. More importantly, through her personalisation of the material, she has presented it in a way that is engaging and relevant. There is much still to learn about how the brain works but for now this book is not only an excellent introduction for someone new to this field but it also challenges us all to think again about the importance of the ‘teenage years’ and how we might work with (rather than against) the adolescents with whom we come into contact every day.

—— Professor Derek Bell, Director of Learnus

There are few scientists that can write about complex issues with such lucidity and force. Blakemore takes on the topic of adolescence and succeeds and sets a new bar for a no nonsense discussion about the crucial importance of brain development. Clearly, teenagers are assembling their minds right in front of our very eyes and Blakemore shows us how to understand the wonder and joy of it all.

—— Michael S. Gazzaniga, SAGE Center, University of California

A brilliant scientist reveals herself to be a writer of considerable talent. With precision, honesty and humour, Sarah Jayne-Blakemore shows how the brooding monsters in your living room are not children gone wrong: they are delicate machines in transition.

—— Charles Fernyhough, Professor Charles Fernyhough, Professor of Psychology, Durham University, author of The Voices Within

An irresistible insight into the teenage years. This book is utterly brilliant, Rarely have I read a book on education with such enjoyment.

—— Dame Alison Peacock, DBE, DLitt, Chief Executive, Chartered College of Teaching

We have learned a great deal about adolescent brain development in recent years, and this book is an up-to-date, authoritative, and accessible account of research that helps us understand, among other things, why teenagers sometimes take big risks, and why they are vulnerable to mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia.

—— Moheb Costandi, author of Neuroplasticity

I currently live with not one but two adolescent brains and, thanks to the thoughtful, lucid and illuminating scientific insights of Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, now at least I understand why they are so infuriating - and am even encouraged to try to do more to support my kids during this crucial, dramatic and maddening period of brain growth.

—— Roger Highfield, Director of External Affairs at the Science Museum, and author of Supercooperators: The Mathematics of Evolution, Altruism and Human Behaviour

An engrossing account of the adolescent brain, how it transforms, and how it ultimately shapes the adults we become.

—— Caroline Sanderson , Bookseller

Finally, a book about the adolescent brain written by someone who actually does the science! In this highly readable, ground-breaking book Blakemore takes us not only into the minds of teenagers, but into the minds of the people who study them. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in how adolescents think, and for everyone concerned about how to apply this knowledge to policy and practice.

—— Laurence Steinberg, Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, Temple University, and author of Age of Opportunity: Lessons From the New Science of Adolescence

[In adolescence] our behaviours, desires and moods, all of which feed into our happiness, become very different... This is a thorough, informative read across the whole subject.

—— Dean Burnett , Guardian

A fine synthesis of psychology with the latest brain research. Books of the Year.

—— FT

The book we should all be talking about.

—— Prowler magazine

Thank you for writing this book. It is a must read.

—— Activist Bisi Alimi

One of the best books we have ever read. Honest, thought provoking and much needed.

—— Q Scene magazine

Finally started to read Straight Jacket. I’m already blown away. An incredibly honest and insightful read. Bravo Matthew.

—— Journalist Tom Knight

This book should have been written a long time ago, but it wasn't...Everyone, no matter what their background, will benefit from reading this book. A much-needed and healing work of tough love, written with love.

—— John Grant

A sensitive subject, brilliantly and intelligently handled.

—— Evan Davis

An excoriating book, Straight Jacket: How to be Gay and Happy delves into contemporary gay culture to address a plethora of issues gay people continue to face in 2016.

—— Attitude

Insightful, inclusive, clever and engaging

—— Jeremy Langmead

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