(Dial Press)
Glennon Doyle’s new memoir may break you open. From the opening chapter’s description of her child’s reaction to a caged cheetah to the astounding moment when she first saw the love of her life, the pace is unrelenting. Doyle’s an uncompromising narrator; she doesn’t let herself get away with anything. Honesty in this form is bracingly refreshing. There is an element of spirituality (she sometimes retreats to a God closet to hear the voice in her head speak more clearly) that could be off-putting to some, but the benefits of reading this funny, heartfelt, passionate tribute to life and love far outweigh that detraction. Doyle’s story is remarkable; of one major upheaval in her life (when she found out her husband had cheated on her), she quips, “Did I write the book as a road map on how to get out of this mess and then follow it or did I make my way out and then write the book?” Her background as a motivational speaker is clearly on display, but reading about how a seemingly ordinary person was able to not just survive, but actually thrive in the face of all the odds stacked against her is a very positive experience.
— Reviewed by Jenny Lyons of The Vermont Book Shop in Middlebury
 

10 Tales of Personal Growth & Resilience
Educated, by Tara Westover
Eat Pray Love, by Gilbert, Elizabeth
Beauty in the Broken Places, by Allison Pataki
The Bright Hour, by Nina Riggs
The Book of Delights, by Ross Gay, Ross
Tiny Beautiful Things, by Cheryl Strayed
Women Rowing North, by Mary Pipher
The Second Mountain, by David Brooks
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi
Mothers of Sparta, by Dawn Davies
H Is for Hawk, by Helen MacDonald