Rising Strong (Brown)

Rising Strong:  The Reckoning, the Rumble, the Revolution
Brene Brown, 2015
Random House
336 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780812995824


Summary
When we deny our stories, they define us.
When we own our stories, we get to write the ending.
 
Social scientist Brene Brown has ignited a global conversation on courage, vulnerability, shame, and worthiness. Her pioneering work uncovered a profound truth:

Vulnerability—the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome—is the only path to more love, belonging, creativity, and joy. But living a brave life is not always easy: We are, inevitably, going to stumble and fall.

It is the rise from falling that Brown takes as her subject in Rising Strong. As a grounded theory researcher, Brown has listened as a range of people—from leaders in Fortune 500 companies and the military to artists, couples in long-term relationships, teachers, and parents—shared their stories of being brave, falling, and getting back up.

She asked herself, What do these people with strong and loving relationships, leaders nurturing creativity, artists pushing innovation, and clergy walking with people through faith and mystery have in common? The answer was clear: They recognize the power of emotion and they’re not afraid to lean in to discomfort.
 
Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values are forged. Our stories of struggle can be big ones, like the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, or smaller ones, like a conflict with a friend or colleague.

Regardless of magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives.

Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness. It’s the process, Brown writes, that teaches us the most about who we are. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—November 18, 1965
• Where—San Antonio, Texas, USA
• Education—B.S.W., University of Texas, Austin; M.S.W., Ph.D., University of Houston
• Awards—Outstanding Faculty Award (University of Houston)
• Currently—lives in Houston, Texas


Brene Brown is an American scholar, author, and public speaker, who is currently a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. Over the last twelve years she has been involved in research on a range of topics, including vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame. She is the author of three New York Times Bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection (2010), Daring Greatly (2012), and Rising Strong (2015). She and her work have been featured on PBS, NPR, TED, and CNN.

Early life
Brown was born in San Antonio, Texas and spent a formative period in New Orleans, Louisiana. She completed her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) at University of Texas at Austin, followed by a Master of Social Work (MSW) and Ph.D. from the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston.

Career
Brown began her career as a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. Her research focuses on authentic leadership and wholeheartedness in families, schools, and organizations. She presented a 2012 TED talk and two 2010 TEDx talks.

Brown is the author of...
♦ I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t): Telling the Truth About Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power (2007)
♦ The Gifts of Imperfection: Letting Go of Who We Think We Should Be and Embracing Who We Are (2010)
♦ Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (2012)
♦ Rising Strong: The Reckoning, the Rumble, the Revolution (2015).

Her articles have appeared in many national newspapers.

In March 2013, she appeared on Super Soul Sunday talking with Oprah Winfrey about her book, Daring Greatly. The title of the book comes from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech “Citizenship in a Republic”, which is also referred as "The Man in the Arena" speech, given at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, on April 23, 1910.

Brown is the CEO and Chief Learning Officer for The Daring Way, a training and certification program for helping professionals who want to facilitate her work on vulnerability, courage and worthiness.

Honors and awards
Houston Woman Magazine voted Brown one of the most influential women of 2009. Her 2010 Ted Talk is one of the most watched talks on the Ted.com website. She has received numerous teaching awards including the Graduate College of Social Work's Outstanding Faculty Award. (From Wikipedia. Retrieved 8/26/2015.)

Book Reviews
This book is about owning your story and choosing how to actively engage with the world. With Brown's excellent guidance, it's easy for readers to become as invested in her story as they are in their own, and, more importantly, to move beyond preconceived stories about themselves.
Publishers Weekly


Brown studies issues of vulnerability and shame—which leads her directly to this book's subject, bravery, both what it is and how we can find it in ourselves.... [T]his book is a sure bet for many social science collections.
Library Journal


[S]olid advice.... [T]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.... An innovative one-two-three-punch approach to self-help and healing from an author who has helped countless readers change their lives.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:

• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)

Also, consider these LitLovers talking points to help start your discussion:

1. Brene Brown posits in Rising Strong that all of us will fall at some point. Discuss what she means by that. Is she correct? Will all of us fall at some point...all of us? Can you think of an example from your own life?

2. What does Brown mean by personal vulnerability? Why is it important, according to the author, to accept our own vulnerability?

3. What is the significance of the book's title, "Rising Strong"? Talk about the process of rising through shame and vulnerability: in otherwords, can you offer a fairly clear and concise summary of the thesis Brown presents in Rising Strong? Consider the steps: "the reckoning, the rumble, and the revolution."

4. Are you able to recognize yourself in some of Brown's examples of learning to be clear-eyed about who you are—your faults, biases, and weaknesses, as well as your strengths? How can one honestly assess oneself? What often prevents us from a true assessment?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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