February 13, 2014 / Leslie

Audiobook Review: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
by Brené Brown
Narrated by Karen White

Genre: Non-Fiction / Psychology
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Publish Date: September 11, 2012
Format: Audio, 8 hours | 36 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy
Rating: 3 of 5

Publisher’s Synopsis:

Researcher and thought leader Dr. Brené Brown offers a powerful new vision that encourages us to dare greatly: to embrace vulnerability and imperfection, to live wholeheartedly, and to courageously engage in our lives.

Every day we experience the uncertainty, risks, and emotional exposure that define what it means to be vulnerable, or to dare greatly. Whether the arena is a new relationship, an important meeting, our creative process, or a difficult family conversation, we must find the courage to walk into vulnerability and engage with our whole hearts.

My Thoughts:

This was my book club’s February pick and not a title I would have chosen on my own. The author is a shame and vulnerability researcher who is, apparently, well-known in the field. This was my first exposure to her work.

I thought this was going to be a how-to or self-help psychology book and I am not very fond of those. Instead the book is written in a free-form style, almost rambling at times, and filled with stories and examples. Some sections were very relatable for me, such as workplace situations, and others, such as parenting dilemmas, not so much.

What did I learn? Perfectionism is a barrier to getting things done. I never thought of myself as a perfectionist, I thought I was just slow to finish things, but after reading this book I realize I’m slow because I go over every detail and want to be certain everything is done right. This explains why it takes me so long to finish writing a review.

The book did provide some stimulating conversation among group members with each of us finding a different lesson to learn or discovery to make about ourselves. We agreed that if you don’t try something you’ll never know if you can do it, and it is ok to feel vulnerable. Putting that into practice is a little more difficult.

Audio Production:
Unfortunately I didn’t care for the audio production. If I had more time before my book club meeting I would have switched to print, but I didn’t so I stuck with it.

The book was read by Karen White, a narrator I enjoy. I have always been pleased with her voice and narration, but this book was not a good fit for her style. For example, the author tells us her favorite bands were Whitesnake and Rush, and that when younger she had her own ‘wilder days’ that she wouldn’t want to tell her children about. Her classic voice didn’t suit the freewheeling image of the author that I had in my mind. It just felt wrong.

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Source: Borrowed copy.
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