Untamed by Glennon Doyle was released recently and the popularity it has achieved in such a short amount of time is incredible. Reese Witherspoon, Kristin Bell, and other celebs have posted glorious reviews on the book and it’s all because of the book’s message of self-empowerment. The memoir’s main lesson is that you’ve got everything you need inside of yourself to strive for and get what you want. How empowering is that?! Untamed is not the only book out there that gives you that intense, empowered feeling. It’s not the only one that makes you want to get off the couch and do that thing you’ve always wanted. It might be one of the best but here’s a list of other books that will motivate and inspire you.
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Malala’s story is incredible – a girl growing up in Pakistan fighting for an education she deserves. Her memoir goes into her close relationship with her family, especially her father, living in a war-torn country, fearing the consequences of wide-spread Taliban influence, being shot in the face for standing up for what’s right, and her rise to international notoriety. If a teenage girl can do all the things Malala has done, then you can do anything, even if it’s just fighting to get out of bed.
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
A fiercely honest and open discussion on how messy life gets and how we can make it better, Rachel Hollis gets down and dirty with tips and advice on how to improve your life. Instead of getting on her soap box, Hollis gets real with her mistakes and insecurities and how she’s managed to turn them into strengths and successes. Her lessons learned are the bread and butter of this book and she shares them in such a fun, hilarious way. After reading this book, you’ll have the motivation to start training for that marathon, fix your marriage, or simply make time for yourself.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Becoming was probably not expected to be so inspiring or successful. I think Michelle Obama just wanted to tell her side of the story. But her trials and tribulations and her incredible rise to success can’t be anything but inspiring. Balancing being a mom and having a career is a story that so many of us share. And she managed to turn her situation into something that worked for her. She needed time to go to the gym; she needed time to go to work; she needed to remember herself and she did it. Her book is all about finding something that makes you passionate and striving for something that you don’t necessarily think you can or deserve to have.
#Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso
In this memoir, Amuroso shares how she went from a girl dumpster diving for food to a woman who founded one of the fastest growing retailers in the world. This is the book for those that feel like they don’t fit in, that didn’t finish school, that don’t feel like there’s a place for them. Sophia Amuroso took that feeling and MADE a place for herself. She started selling vintage clothes on Ebay, and after twists and turns and ups and downs, is now the founder of Nasty Girl and the CEO of Girlboss. Her tale of success will make you want to take the leap to start your own business because hard work and dedication will get you anywhere.
Educated by Tara Westover
Tara Westover’s memoir chronicles her childhood and the hardships she faced to get an education and leave the world she grew up in. Westover was raised unconventionally, occasionally going to school, never going to the doctor, and isolated from mainstream society. But she knew there was more to life than how she was raised. Self-educated, Westover ended up at Brigham Young University, Harvard, and then Cambridge, succeeding at each institution. Her perseverance will make you want to stick to and fight for something you’re passionate about because if she can be successful, then you can too.
You are a Badass by Jen Sincero
Think DIY how-to guide applied to your life. That’s what You are a Badass entails. Twenty-seven vignettes with sometimes hilariously appropriate advice, this book will help you get over yourself – your fears, your insecurities, the things you don’t like about yourself – and figure out who you’re meant to be – the passionate, powerful, and confident you.
Alyssa Flores
Alyssa reads hundreds of books a year and is on a never-ending quest to find the perfect book.
