Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience

Brené Brown

Nov 2021 · Sold by Random House

About this ebook

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown writes, “If we want to find the way back to ourselves and one another, we need language and the grounded confidence to both tell our stories and be stewards of the stories that we hear. This is the framework for meaningful connection.”

Don’t miss the five-part Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart!

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.”

Ratings and reviews

This is insightful and has some good takeaways but she dives into her personal politics and makes a slew of COVID/vaccine comments that are, comical and ironically, unscientific and strikes an interesting hypocrisy of the entire concept of this book.

To date: (I am almost 50 years old), the absolute best book I've ever read!!!! From the very beginning you had me when you said that you thought that you possessed "special powers". The more I read the more I connected with you and for a minute I thought is she my twin? There really are people like me in this world! Thank you for helping me to open my heart and soul to what has baffled me for my entire life! Thank you for being a beacon of hope for people like us and others who struggle with who they are, and giving us a toolbox to navigate our emotions. This book is life changing folks! Be courgeous and vulnerable and do the work! You can start by reading this book. Thank you , Brene, for all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the foundations of your work. You are an inspiration to us all!

What more can I say than Dr Brene Brown is phenomenal, and I just wish I could sit with her and have pumpkin spiced lattes together.

About the author

Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston, where she holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work. She also holds the position of visiting professor in management at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. Brené has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. She is the author of six #1 New York Times bestsellers and is the host of two award-winning podcasts, Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead. Brené’s books have been translated into more than 30 languages, and her titles include Atlas of the Heart, Dare to Lead, Braving the Wilderness, Rising Strong, Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection. With Tarana Burke, she co-edited the bestselling anthology You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience. Brené’s TED talk on the Power of Vulnerability is one of the top five most-viewed TED talks in the world, with over 60 million views. Brené is the first researcher to have a filmed lecture on Netflix, and in March 2022, she launched a new show on Max that focuses on her latest book, Atlas of the Heart. Brené spends most of her time working in organizations around the world, helping develop braver leaders and more courageous cultures. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Steve. They have two children, Ellen and Charlie, and a weird Bichon named Lucy.