RISING STRONG

More solid advice from the author of Daring Greatly (2012) and The Gifts of Imperfection (2010).

For nearly 15 years, Brown (Social Work/Univ. of Houston) has researched human behavior and advised people to dare to do great things. Inevitably, however, there are moments when we try and fail. Here, the author gives readers the necessary tools to get up and try again. Brown outlines a three-step process—the reckoning, the rumble, and the revolution—that unfolds much like the three major acts in a book or play. In the reckoning stage, we identify the emotions inherent in an experience and begin to think about how the emotions interact with thoughts and behavior. In rumble, we connect with the stories we create around an event and cross-examine them to determine the truths and half-truths that might lie below the surface. Some feelings that might surface are shame, blame, accountability, criticism, disappointment, generosity, nostalgia, and forgiveness. In the book’s longest section, Brown identifies 15 “rumble” topics, and she breaks down each one. She analyzes how we often invent stories that aren’t necessarily true, since they may be based on experiences from the past, childhood memories, and perceived notions of another person’s thoughts and desires, which can be entirely off-base. The author uses ample examples from interviewees, other researchers, books, and even song lyrics to illustrate her methodology. In the revolution phase, the truth that’s been exposed in rumble gives us energy to stand back up as a changed person. “The rising strong process can lead to deep, tumultuous, groundbreaking, no-turning-back transformation,” writes the author. “The process may be a series of incremental changes, but when the process becomes a practice—a way of engaging with the world—there’s no doubt it ignites revolutionary change.”

An innovative one-two-three–punch approach to self-help and healing from an author who has helped countless readers change their lives.