Braving the Wilderness

Dammit, who is this person and how does she know so much about the goings-on in my head? Why does she hit so hard, pierce so deeply? Why do I have such a hard time reading her oeuvre, and an even harder time admitting to it?

This is my second reading. My first, in October, I felt stunned and upset and even angry: at her observations in one paragraph, then angrier because often in the next paragraph she addressed the very counterargument I was mentally preparing, and she would very likely do so by confessing her own difficulty accepting her findings, which would ordinarily be disarming but not my first reading—I was too busy feeling embarrassed by my initial reaction. This time I was better prepared. So what does that mean? Should I recommend this book, but only if you skip your first reading and move directly on to the second?

Remarkably heavy stuff for such a light book. Many pages hit hard. Many are easy to skip or ignore—“oh, sure, that may be fine for her but my situation is different; that doesn't apply to me.” Again, on second reading, one might be more open to the possibility that she knows what she's writing about. I wonder what my third reading will be like.

I really don't know who this book is written for. I've always been tribeless, never belonging in any sort of organized group. I'm used to the loneliness and yet have, through great good fortune, managed to find some pretty amazing people in this world to connect with deeply. I hesitantly put forth that Brown writes for the tribeless; that there are others of us out there, maybe more than I dare imagine. And she has some good (but difficult) words for us. If any of what I've said resonates with you, pick up this book. But make sure to only read it the second time.