Untamed by Glennon Doyle – this book spoke to me so much. There is an endless amount to discuss, as evident by the fact that I’ve been writing and editing this post for weeks because I have so much I want to say. I initially wrote pages on just one topic! Clearly I’m incapable of discussing the entire book in a blog. I also don’t want to give away too much of the book. I want you to read it for yourself, to let Doyle speak directly to you. That being said, I still had to write something in acknowledgment of this wonderful book and plead with you all to read it, if you haven’t already.

“Untamed” is a memoir about the different cages we’re all in. It’s about how we got there and, more importantly, how to break free.

The book spoke to me in two ways. First, I identified with some parts, nodded along, and felt the validation that can fill your cup after hearing ideas you’re passionate about be name and shared. The second was through the thoughts and ideas that were new to me. The unfamiliar washed over me with the same strength as the familiar, as Doyle led the reader through personal revelations. She did so through the intimate retelling of her own experiences.

This is the kind of book you feel in your soul as you bear witness to someone else’s journey, wading through some of life’s heaviest issues while laying naked their personal missteps, struggles, and lessons learned. And, naturally, all the emotions that accompany such a journey. Pivot to moving forward: the inspiration to figure out, connect with, trust and OWN your voice and true self. Doyle talks about finding her “Knowing” through quiet and deep meditation. She talks of finding something within, beneath “the chaotic surface”. She talks of shutting out the outside voices and allowing her own, internal voice, her Knowing, to rise up and be her guide.

There is so much more on this, as with ideas from every chapter. There was, however, one chapter in particular that I think every parent should read. This is the chapter entitled ‘Boys’.

While reading this chapter I related so much to Doyle’s desire to raise her girls to be strong. Her desire for them not to compromise or lose their whole selves, to be authentic. She expressed wanting them to be free to be whatever they wanted. To be free of the boxes, the cages, that society has put girls and women into. She expressed wanting to be free of the expectations of what girls should be, how they should act and what they should like. I have felt this same desire passionately for my own daughter, but also equally for my boys.

Doyle gets into this with her realization that our boys and men are in their own cages, with society telling them what it means to be boys, to be ‘real’ men. She discusses how they have their own pressures and cultural messaging as to what they should like, how they should act, what they should be – that anything different must make them less than or not a true man.

In a world full of ‘shoulds’ our society has come a long way in support of women and girls. But what about our boys? As Doyle points out, they need us to help them break free of their cages just as much as our girls do. We need to encourage our boys to be their whole, authentic selves in the same vein that we encourage our girls. When we address one, we can in turn address the other. While breaking free, we also need to confront the boxes we put others into.