‘You’re a goddamn Cheetah’

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Every woman won’t necessarily be ready for this book, but I still feel they should read it. As should every man. Actually, screw the binary. Don’t give a damn what you identify as, read it.

Since listening to this book – I got hold of the audio version – I’ve also listened to the episode of Brené Brown’s new podcast Unlocking Us during which Glennon Doyle is interviewed, and though I admit it’s more of the same, it’s still worth a listen. What this all boils down to, is the fact that this book is a game changer. It puts the patterns of our existence into a digestible perspective, so you can see it, analyse it, scrutinise it, and break it down further to look at the specific ways in which it’s impacted you. It’s also intensely timely, considering the publication date and some of the issues we’re facing as a society at the moment.

Truth be told, I was extremely dubious going in. I’m not even entirely sure why now. Nevertheless, here we are. I listened, and now I love. From the prologue (Cheetah), all the way through to the end, the pace is set to challenge and push. The prologue opens with the lies told to control, the lies told to make subjugation and control ok.

I hesitate to go into it all too deeply as I could write an essay about every chapter, but doubt I could do it justice. There are key themes that subtly worm their way under your skin, like the gentle voicing of ‘something’s off about my life’, and there are sentences that literally made me stop in my tracks (I was listening during my warm-up walk, so I do mean literally), like ‘A woman becomes a responsible parent when she stops being an obedient daughter.’ It does depend on where you’re up to in your own journey, obviously, but I think there’s plenty there to consider.

I’m still processing, and will likely read it again in a few months, to see if I still feel the same.



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