REVIEW:

Atlas of the Heart is a beautiful reference book that would look lovely on a coffee table or guestroom night stand. It’s full of images and diagrams and the like, which make it quite different from Brené Brown’s previous publications. When I first saw it in stores I was a little bummed, because I always listen to her read her own audiobooks and thought there’s no way Atlas could be translated to that format.

But she did it! In the audiobook, she re-reads passages that were written in bold in the book to really emphasize them, describes illustrations so listeners can easily picture them, and also includes a PDF for reference. Her narration style is casual and conversational. She’s a pro at engaging listeners.

If you’re still with me but are like, cool, who the heck is Brené Brown, I got you. Dr. Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston where she studies courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy, and is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers. Her TED talk – The Power of Vulnerability – is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world.

Her books are often shelved as “self help,” but that never feels right to me. Now self AWARENESS on the other hand is perfectly apt. Her research illuminates the commonality of the human existence, especially the parts people don’t really want to talk about.

Atlas of the Heart can be best described as a dictionary of emotional terms, such as illuminating the differences between envy and jealousy. If etymology and semantics don’t interest you, boredom will likely set in. I will always read (listen to) every book Dr. Brown writes, but her latest is possibly too advanced for those new to her and her work. It’s a great road map for emotional nuances, but not the best on-ramp to the Brené Brown journey of self awareness.

PUBLISHER SYNOPSIS:

In Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances—a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.

Over the past two decades, Brown’s extensive research into the experiences that make us who we are has shaped the cultural conversation and helped define what it means to be courageous with our lives. Atlas of the Heart draws on this research, as well as on Brown’s singular skills as a storyteller, to show us how accurately naming an experience doesn’t give the experience more power, it gives us the power of understanding, meaning, and choice.

Brown shares, “I want this book to be an atlas for all of us, because I believe that, with an adventurous heart and the right maps, we can travel anywhere and never fear losing ourselves.”