Braving the Wilderness: Reese's Book Club: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

Written by Brené Brown

Narrated by Brené Brown

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • A timely and important 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

Don’t miss the five-part Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart!

“True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.” Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, MSW, 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 polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging.

Brown argues that we’re experiencing 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 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.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9780525494898

Brené Brown

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 best sellers 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 best-selling 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 for Braving the Wilderness

[verber_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A book calling for civil discourse in an age of increasing polarization. Accurately observes that if we deal with person as individuals we are much more likely to find connection. I found this book fell short of my expectations, making use of platitudes that weren't as grounded as some of Brene's other works. I appreciated this book, and felt challenged to engage more with people I disagree with, but didn't walk away which a significantly deeper insight.

[carmenere_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For years, my friends in the neighborhood have been telling me how much they admire and how often then refer to Ms. Brown.
They finally wore down my resistance and I gave Brene Brown a chance.
Know what? I actually found a few commonalities with the author.
In Braving the Wilderness she discusses the rewards of being belonging but also the rewards of carefully having a prolific conversation with those who hold a different belief. I plan to implement her advice when next the opportunity arises.
I’ve already put a hold on my next book by Ms.Brown.

[johanne-712835 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brene Brown pushes me and I like it.

[cecilturtle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brown walks us through the steps to becoming kinder, more empathetic and resilient people. But as she impresses: it's easier said than done. Giving real-life examples from her own experience, she shows us how to overcome fear, get up from failures and learn along the way. Brown's strength is her stories: always relevant and funny. This is a short but poignant book that reminds us we all have the power to make the world a better place by listening, asking questions and being true to our values.

[geauxgetlit · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another fantastic insightful book by Brene Brown! We shouldn’t hold onto shame!

[muffinbutt1027 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brown encourages you to sit in your discomfort, and decide fully if you are going to be the person you actually are, or the you that you want everyone to think you are. She also challenges the idea of what it means to disagree with someone you love and how to have to discussions with more empathy and less anger. Might be a tough read for those who have a difficult time when their own perspectives or beliefs are challenged.

[jrobinw · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an important book, especially for these volatile times. I recommend We all read it at least once. I plan on starting again soon so I can take notes.

This book would Work Well in church groups, therapy groups, maybe even work teams.

She addresses the importance of standing up for yourself (Alone), but also talks of how we can still belong and get along despite our differences.

[streamsong_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful look at being brave enough to stand up for your own thoughts while respecting those around you. Some of the best summaries of this work are in her chapter titles:
- People are hard to hate Close Up – Move in.
- Speak truth to bullshit. Be civil. Hold hands with strangers,
- Strong back, Soft front, Wild heart

I love this quote she uses by Joseph Campbell: “If you see your path laid out in front of you, you know it’s not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take.”

I'm looking forward to reading her newest book [Atlas of the Heart].

[jorgeousjotts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some important lessons and good advice, given in an easy to understand, and non-judgemental way.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This, I think, is Brown's best and most challenging work. It hit me in all my weakest areas and has given me lots to think about. Everyone should read this book.

[auldhouse · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There you go again Brene Brown, being completely relevant and addressing how many of us are feeling right now.

[gaillamontagne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is Brene' Brown's life account of her personal journey from a desperately lonely teenager living in an emotionally barren life to an incredibly strong but vulnerable wife, mother and researcher. She felt she didn't belong anywhere and was trying to find her self value in the opinions and expectations of her peers. Actually growing up in typical loving Texas family, the divorce of her parents devastated her.

[linyarai · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

While reading this book there were a few passages I enjoyed and that I thought would stick with me, but by the next chapter I couldn't remember what they were and overall this book was pretty unremarkable.

[plancultivatecreate · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Honest, poignant, and thought-provoking.
Biggest takeaway: Life is all about connection and compassion. Yes.

[mrstreme · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Do you wonder how you belong in today’s world, especially with such polarizing opinions and “my way or the highway” attitudes? If so, be sure to check out Brene’ Brown’s book, Braving The Wilderness.

In this book, Brown teaches us what it means to truly belong, meaning that true belonging starts within us. If we can belong within ourselves, even if it feels like we are alone in the wilderness, we share our most authentic selves (without changing who we really are).

To guide us through the wilderness, Brown shares these four behavioral practices:

1. People are hard to hate close up. Move in.
2. Speak truth to bullshit. Be civil.
3. Hold hands. With strangers.
4. Strong back. Soft front. Wild heart.

She delves into each practice, offering real-life stories that drive her point home. As always, Brown is a master storyteller, and her anecdotes will move you.

My three takeaways:

#1: We are much more than our political ideologies.

When we lean into each other’s humanity, we see our greater connectedness. I’m a Democrat, but I am also a mom, wife, daughter, sister, Tampa Bay Bucs fan, entrepreneur, lover of flamingos, and animal advocate. I have travel anxieties and a restless spirit, and often stick my foot in my mouth. I am so much more than my political ideology – as are my friends, neighbors, colleagues, and, yes, politicians.

#2: Social media is wonderful for connecting, but it’s the face-to-face interactions that create the strong bonds.

Don’t let online relationships transcend the in-person ones. I took this as a personal reminder (as an entrepreneur: Have in-person events, Jill. Deepen those bonds with your community even more (this is something I’ve been avoiding).

#3: Once you step into the wilderness, you are not ever alone.

The others who have stepped into the forest are there too. Have faith in yourself. Have faith in your beliefs. And stay kind.

How Braving The Wilderness relates to entrepreneurs

I am a firm believer in entrepreneurs using their marketing platforms to advance their causes. Furthermore, I believe female entrepreneurs are the changemakers that will shepherd us to a better world.

Therefore, female entrepreneurs must learn to brave the wilderness, even if it means upsetting someone. We must stand in our authentic selves, knowing that our community will love and support us. This includes our ideal clients, who I define as those people who buy from us and believe in our causes.

This is scary as hell, but it’s necessary. Braving The Wilderness is our guide book on how to navigate this scary-as-hell path.

I encourage entrepreneurs, especially females, to read Braving The Wilderness to help them lean into more authenticity and vulnerability. Translate what Brown says into your marketing, and you have struck marketing gold.

[mh_at_home · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Braving the Wilderness is the second book I've read by Brené Brown (I recently reviewed Daring Greatly).  It's a book about finding belonging within ourselves and using that to relate effectively to others.  She writes with very accessible language and a conversational tone that draws the reader in.  The book is relatively short, which makes it a fairly quick read.

The wilderness metaphor didn't especially resonate with me, and so sometimes I found myself wondering what exactly she was talking about.  She writes: "Belonging so fully to yourself that you’re willing to stand alone is a wilderness—an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching."  She adds that "the special courage it takes to experience true belonging is not just about braving the wilderness, it’s about becoming the wilderness. It’s about breaking down the walls, abandoning our ideological bunkers, and living from our wild heart rather than our weary hurt."  "Someone, somewhere, will say, 'Don’t do it. You don’t have what it takes to survive the wilderness. This is when you reach deep into your wild heart and remind yourself, 'I am the wilderness.'"  I think Brene Brown is wonderful, but I'm still reading those lines and thinking huh?!?  Maybe I'm just a bit too concrete.

That's not to say that all of it was lost on me.  When she wrote "cynicism and distrust have a stranglehold on our hearts", I felt like she could easily have been speaking about my own heart.  She tells us that in order to achieve true belonging, we must be vulnerable and have the courage to take on difficult things and be uncomfortable.  I liked her observation that when we're bullshitting, "the truth  doesn’t matter, what I think matters."

The book is focused around four key approaches to improve belonging:

People Are Hard to Hate Close Up. Move In.
Speak Truth to Bullshit. Be Civil.
Hold Hands. With Strangers.
Strong Back. Soft Front. Wild Heart.
The book contains many useful nuggets of advice, including practicing gratitude and breaking the habit of seeking confirmation that we're not good enough.  There are also many common sense ideas that are perhaps not so common, such as approaching conflict with a genuine attempt to understand the other person's perspective.  While boundaries may seem like a challenge sometimes, Brown takes the perspective that establishing and sticking to clear boundaries in conflict actually promotes compassion and belonging.  Boundaries are the first ingredient in her BRAVING acronym for facing the wilderness.

While there was definitely good stuff there, I have to say that for me this book was a bit of a disappointment.  I'm a big Brene Brown fan, and I like what she has to say, particularly about vulnerability, but the wilderness metaphor just didn't do it for me.  I definitely want to read more of her work, though.

[purplequeennl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was interested in this book as it talked about finding true belonging, something that is hard to do in this world, and having watched Brene Brown talk about vulnerability, I was keen to read what she had to say on belonging, and I was not disappointed. She covered the topic thoroughly and gave guidance about how to go about it in today's world.

Braving the Wilderness was only published at the end of 2017 so Brene Brown refers to recent world events, culture and society. This is as much a guide to dealing with the current negativity, lack of integrity and fake news and politic lies as it is about finding true belonging. It talks about how to deal with it and how to stay connected in a positive healthy way.

The section headings are advice on their own:

People are hard to hate close up. Move in.
Speak truth to bullshit. Be civil.
Hold hands. With strangers.
Strong back. Soft front. Wild Heart.

I would recommend this book to anyone struggling in today's world, and trying to find a way to cope with the overwhelming amount of noise it creates in our day to day lives.

[keylawk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author is a research professor in Houston who did the acclaimed TED talk on vulnerability and three other books.

I love the blurb "True belonging doesn't require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are." Nota bene - the book includes Notes and Index.

Brene Brown gathers data and analyzes it, looking for patterns and a "clearer picture". She draws upon the image of "the Wilderness" used as a metaphor "to represent everything from a vast and dangerous environment where we are forced to navigate difficult trials to a refuge of nature and beauty where we seek space for contemplation." While she does not interrogate the contradiction in these two poles, she catches the common foot that all wilderness metaphors share -- the notions of "solitude, vulnerability, and an emotional, spiritual, or physical quest". [36]

Taking up the quest to belong, the author dug into what we mean by "trust" and finds seven elements that are useful in both trusting others and ourselves. [38-40] I like her acronym BRAVING: Boundaries - respect them; Reliability - deliver and don't overpromise; Accountability - own your mistakes; Vault - keep confidences; Integrity - choose courage and correctness; Nonjudgment - we can talk about what we need and feel; Generosity - be generous of interpretation.

Professor Brown concludes: "There will be times when standing alone feels too hard, too scary, and we'll doubt our ability to make our way through the uncertainty. Someone, somewhere, will say, "Don't do it. You don't have what it takes to survive the wilderness." This is when you reach deep into your wild heart and remind yourself, "I AM the wilderness."

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was surprised by how much this one impacted me. There’s a thin line between self-help books and books they get to the core of a problem to actually solve a bigger social issue. I love the way she encouraged overcoming our differences to find a community instead of highlighting the issues that divide us. She asks readers to be brave by being vulnerable and allowing people to get close to you, while still holding to your own principles.

“I can confidently say that stories of pain and courage almost always include two things: praying and cussing. Sometimes at the exact same time.”

[thebentley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brene Brown is my spirit animal. In this open and honest book—which often reads more like a memoir than a study—Brown expands her notions of vulnerability and emotional honesty and resilience to a more social and political context. An absolutely necessary tonic for our echo-chamber cultural era. I listened to the audiobook, read by the author, which takes only four hours and is well worth the time. Outstanding.