“Grief is Love’s Souvenir”

 

This book was actually recommended to me by the awesome ladies at the Get Booked podcast. I requested some books that would help me get through some pretty rough stuff that I was going through in life and this book fits the bill. There are many things that Glennon Doyle wrote about herself and about existing as a woman in this world that resonated very deeply with me and gave me some direction on where to go and what to do next. What made it hard for me to relate to was that the author, being a well off white lady, didn’t really seem to have any financial limitations on her journey of self discovery. I wouldn’t say it’s as tin-eared as “Eat, Pray, Love.” She deals with some serious issues. But not all of us have families that can drop everything and come stay with us while we figure our shit out or time and money for regular therapy sessions and seemingly endless yoga classes.

Love Warrior dives right in as Ms. Doyle describes her early struggles with Bulimia and as she learns to put on a false face to the world in order to gain the acceptance of her peers. As she enters college she develops a pretty serious alcohol addiction. Her parents try unsuccessfully to get her to quit. It’s not until she discovers she’s pregnant that she decides to go into recovery and focus all her attention on being a mother and a wife to the baby’s father. After several years of what seems outwardly to be a happy marriage, she discovers that her husband has been unfaithful for almost the entirety of their marriage. What follows is Glennon’s journey to discover who she is to herself rather than someone’s wife or mother. She learns to relate to the outside world as her true self and not what anyone expects from her.

Overall I liked it, even if I didn’t love it. Some of her words shook me to my core and I truly felt for her. Other times I wanted her life so I could go to therapy and sleep all day while my parents took care of everything and I never had to worry how the bills would get paid.