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Elizabeth (Plant Based Bride)'s Reviews > Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
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After my less-than-favourable experience with Brown's first book, Gifts of Imperfection, I went into Atlas of the Heart with trepidation. The early sections seemed to reinforce my impression of Brown, with the inclusion of many unnecessary, personal anecdotes, a casual tone, and simplicity that gave the book a draft-like feel.
Luckily, around the halfway point, I began to see glimmers of what I'd hoped this book would be. The sections on grief, compassion, and empathy were especially insightful. The concept of "near enemies" was new for me and (in my opinion) worth reading the book for, regardless of the other content. I also began to appreciate the exploration of some of the more complicated or less frequently explored emotions.
I think where this book shines is in the tiny, minute details—distinguishing between emotions that are often used interchangeably or misunderstood. Clearly defining emotions that are pieces of a whole, similar, yet distinct, and those that are near enemies – often seem to be in the former category but actually in opposition.
Overall, it was a mixed bag, including mostly ideas and concepts I already knew, with some gems and new insights that I was glad to discover. If I had stopped halfway through, I likely would have given the book two stars, but by the end, I felt I had absorbed enough thought-provoking ideas and concepts to bump my rating up to around three and a half stars, which I have rounded up to four.
While I'm glad I read it, I do think this book could have been so much more and fell short of its potential. It is telling that every quote or passage I marked as incredibly insightful was itself a quote from another researcher or author. Very little of Brown's original text elicited aha moments for me. And while I'm glad she did the work of compiling all of these ideas into one place, I do wonder what this book could have been in another's hands.
You can watch me review this book & all of the other 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards Winners here: https://youtu.be/fFKXJ1gsZA8
You can watch me talk about all the books I read in February as I set up my reading journal here: https://youtu.be/NY7bgSmoggM
You can find me on...
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You can join our book club over on Patreon...
PBB Book Club
Luckily, around the halfway point, I began to see glimmers of what I'd hoped this book would be. The sections on grief, compassion, and empathy were especially insightful. The concept of "near enemies" was new for me and (in my opinion) worth reading the book for, regardless of the other content. I also began to appreciate the exploration of some of the more complicated or less frequently explored emotions.
I think where this book shines is in the tiny, minute details—distinguishing between emotions that are often used interchangeably or misunderstood. Clearly defining emotions that are pieces of a whole, similar, yet distinct, and those that are near enemies – often seem to be in the former category but actually in opposition.
Overall, it was a mixed bag, including mostly ideas and concepts I already knew, with some gems and new insights that I was glad to discover. If I had stopped halfway through, I likely would have given the book two stars, but by the end, I felt I had absorbed enough thought-provoking ideas and concepts to bump my rating up to around three and a half stars, which I have rounded up to four.
While I'm glad I read it, I do think this book could have been so much more and fell short of its potential. It is telling that every quote or passage I marked as incredibly insightful was itself a quote from another researcher or author. Very little of Brown's original text elicited aha moments for me. And while I'm glad she did the work of compiling all of these ideas into one place, I do wonder what this book could have been in another's hands.
You can watch me review this book & all of the other 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards Winners here: https://youtu.be/fFKXJ1gsZA8
You can watch me talk about all the books I read in February as I set up my reading journal here: https://youtu.be/NY7bgSmoggM
You can find me on...
Youtube | Instagram | TikTok
You can join our book club over on Patreon...
PBB Book Club
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Reading Progress
February 19, 2023
–
Started Reading
February 19, 2023
– Shelved
February 21, 2023
–
Finished Reading
June 30, 2024
– Shelved as:
4-star-reads
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EMM
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rated it 4 stars
Mar 03, 2023 11:43PM
Did you happen to read the book straight through? I found myself jumping around in it, as with a reference book.
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EMM wrote: "Did you happen to read the book straight through? I found myself jumping around in it, as with a reference book."I read it straight through as a first read, yes!
