A collection of books about love on a pink background

Books20to20make20you20better20at20Love20-20Main20Image20-201800×1200.jpg

Reading lists

Books to help you be better at love

audiobooks-to-enrich-your-mind-article-card.png

Audiobooks to help you understand other people

Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience

Atlas of the Heart

THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 
 
From the bestselling author of The Gifts of Imperfection and Braving the Wilderness, an inspiring book examining the emotions and experiences that define us, helping us to become more emotionally fluent and connected. 
 
‘Thanks to Brené Brown I learned how to be vulnerable … a life changer’ Miranda Hart, actor, comedian, and bestselling author of I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You 
 
'If we want to find the way back to ourselves and each other, we need language and the grounded confidence to both tell our stories, and to be stewards of the stories that we hear. This is the framework for meaningful 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 Brown's singular skills as a researcher/storyteller, to lay out an invaluable, research-based framework that shows us that naming an experience doesn't give the experience more power, it gives us the power of understanding, meaning and choice. 
 
Brown takes us on a journey through 87 of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and lays out 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 heart-breaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection. 
 
Written with Brown’s trademark mix of research, storytelling and honesty, Atlas of the Heart is the revolutionary and inspiring guide that offers to help us all become more emotionally fluent and connected. 
 
Praise for Brené Brown 
 
‘Brené empowers us each to be a little more courageous’ The Huffington Post 
 
‘Practical and insightful’ Sheryl Sandberg, former Facebook COO and bestselling author of Lean In 
 
‘Brené cuts through the noise and speaks to what makes us human’ Brigadier General Brook J. Leonard, United States Air Force 
 
‘Brené has profoundly inspired our product leaders to design in and embrace vulnerability, rather than engineer it out' Danielle Krettek, founder, Google Empathy Lab 
 
‘The master of hope’ Metro

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 Professor of Practice in Management at The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. She is the author of six #1 New York Times bestsellers and the host of two award-winning podcasts. In 2024, she was named as the executive director of The Center for Daring Leadership at BetterUp. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Steve. They have two children, Ellen and Charlie, and a weird Bichon Frisé named Lucy.

The Gifts of Imperfection

In hardback for the first time, this tenth-anniversary edition of the game-changing #1 New York Times bestseller features a new foreword and brand-new tools to make the work your own.

The inspiring, bestselling guide to living the life you want to lead, from the acclaimed author of Daring Greatly, Atlas of the Heart and Rising Strong. 
 
SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION 
 
'This book is an invitation to join a wholehearted revolution. A small, quiet, grassroots movement that starts with each of us saying, "My story matters because I matter." Revolution might sound a little dramatic, but in this world, choosing authenticity and worthiness is an absolute act of resistance.' 
 
For over a decade, Brené Brown has found a special place in our hearts as a gifted mapmaker and a fellow traveller. She is both a social scientist and a kitchen-table friend whom you can always count on to tell the truth, make you laugh and, on occasion, cry with you. 
 
And what's now become a movement all started with The Gifts of Imperfection, selling more than two million copies in thirty-five different languages across the globe. 
 
What transforms this book from words on a page to effective daily practices are the ten guideposts to wholehearted living, including:<ul><li>Authenticity</li><li>Resilience</li><li>Creativity</li><li>Letting go of comparison</li><li>Meaningful rest</li></ul>These guideposts not only help us understand the practices that will allow us to change our lives and families, but also walk us through the unattainable and sabotaging expectations that get in the way. 
 
Written with Brown’s trademark mix of research, storytelling and honesty, and featuring a new foreword and brand-new tools to make the work your own, The Gifts of Imperfection is the game-changing bestseller, helping you live the life you want to lead. 
 
Praise for Brené Brown 
 
‘Brené empowers us each to be a little more courageous’ The Huffington Post 
 
‘Practical and insightful’ Sheryl Sandberg, former Facebook COO and bestselling author of Lean In 
 
‘Brené cuts through the noise and speaks to what makes us human’ Brigadier General Brook J. Leonard, United States Air Force 
 
‘Brené has profoundly inspired our product leaders to design in and embrace vulnerability, rather than engineer it out' Danielle Krettek, founder, Google Empathy Lab 
 
‘The master of hope’ Metro

Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.

Dare to Lead

Research professor and TED talk phenomenon Dr Brené Brown reveals how to choose courage over comfort, so we can step up, make a difference and dare to lead.

With Dare to Lead, Brené brings decades of research to bear in a practical and insightful guide to courageous leadership. This book is a road map for anyone who wants to lead mindfully, live bravely, and dare to lead.

Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook, founder of LeanIn.Org and OptionB.Org

Brené visited Pixar to talk with our filmmakers. Her message was important, as movies are best when they come from a place of vulnerability, when the people who make them encounter setbacks and are forced to overcome them, when they are willing to have their asses handed to them. It is easy to sit back and talk about the values of a safe and meaningful culture, but extraordinarily difficult to pull it off. You don’t achieve good culture without constant attention, without an environment of safety, courage, and vulnerability. These are hard skills, but they are teachable skills. Start with this book.

Ed Catmull, president, Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios

Whether you’re leading a movement or a start-up, if you’re trying to change an organizational culture or the world, Dare to Lead will challenge everything you think you know about brave leadership and give you honest, straightforward, actionable tools for choosing courage over comfort.

Tarana Burke, senior director, Girls for Gender Equity, founder, the Me Too movement

We asked Brené to bring her work on courage and vulnerability to our Air Force base. This is a tough audience, many of them with significant combat experience. Within five minutes, you could have heard a pin drop. Brené cuts through the noise and speaks to what makes us human and makes the mission happen. Dare to Lead is about real leadership: tenacious, from the heart, and full of grit.

Brigadier General Brook J. Leonard, United States Air Force

Brené is Google Empathy Lab’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. She has profoundly inspired our product leaders to design in and embrace vulnerability, rather than engineer it out. It’s a critical and transformative act to bring your alive, messy, wholehearted human self to work every day. Dare to Lead is the skillful and empowering Jedi training we have all been waiting for.

Danielle Krettek, founder, Google Empathy Lab

Applying the principles from Dare to Lead to my work as a principal has transformed the way I show up with parents, students, and colleagues, and how I lead. Brené’s words, stories, and examples connect with our hearts and minds, and her actionable approach gives us the tools to be braver with our lives and our work.

Kwabena Mensah, PhD, assistant superintendent, Fort Bend ISD, Principal of the Year, Katy ISD and Texas Alliance of Black School Educators

Brené truly gives it all away in Dare to Lead. Courage is a set of teachable skills, and she teaches us exactly how to build those muscles with research, stories, examples, and new language. The future belongs to brave leaders, and she’s written the ultimate playbook for daring leadership.

Scott Harrison, founder and CEO, charity: water

The original must-read, bestselling guide to becoming the best leader you can be from the critically-acclaimed author of Atlas of the Heart, Braving the Wilderness and The Gifts of Imperfection. 
 
‘A practical and insightful guide to courageous leadership’ Sheryl Sandberg, former Facebook COO and bestselling author of Lean In 
 
‘The ultimate playbook for daring leadership’ Scott Harrison, founder and CEO of Charity: Water 
 
Leadership is not about titles, status and power over people. Leaders are people who hold themselves accountable for recognising the potential in people and ideas, and look to develop that potential. 
 
Brené Brown spent the past two decades researching the emotions that give meaning to our lives. She has found that leaders in organisations ranging from small entrepreneurial start-ups and family-owned businesses to non-profits, civic organisations and Fortune 50 companies, are all asking the same questions: 
 
How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders? And, how do you embed the value of courage in your culture? 
 
Dare to Lead answers these questions, giving us actionable strategies and real examples from her new research-based, courage-building programme. 
 
This inspiring book shows us that, when we dare to lead, we don’t pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don’t see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it with others. We don’t avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into vulnerability when it’s necessary to do good work. 
 
Written with Brown’s trademark mix of research, storytelling and honesty, Dare to Lead is a book for anyone who is ready to choose courage over comfort, make a difference and lead. 
 
Praise for Brené Brown 
 
‘Brené empowers us each to be a little more courageous’ The Huffington Post 
 
‘Brené cuts through the noise and speaks to what makes us human’ Brigadier General Brook J. Leonard, United States Air Force 
 
‘Brené has profoundly inspired our product leaders to design in and embrace vulnerability, rather than engineer it out' Danielle Krettek, founder, Google Empathy Lab 
 
‘The master of hope’ Metro

The quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone

Braving the Wilderness

When we stand alone, we find ourselves. This is a book about true belonging, not fitting in, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Rising Strong.

Thanks to Brené Brown I learned how to be vulnerable… a life changer

Brené Brown is an important thought leader of our times … a deeply inspiring book

Stories, beautifully told, of learning to belong because you know, enjoy, admire, and forgive yourself.

The inspiring guide to finding true belonging and the courage and confidence to stand alone from the bestselling author of Rising Strong, Daring Greatly and The Gifts of Imperfection. 
 
‘Thanks to Brené Brown I learned how to be vulnerable … a life changer’ Miranda Hart, actor, comedian and bestselling author of I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You 
 
‘An important thought leader of our times … a deeply inspiring book’ Red magazine 
 
‘True belonging doesn't require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.’ 
 
Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives – experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame and empathy. 
 
Now, in Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarisation. 
 
Brown argues that what we're experiencing today is a spiritual crisis of disconnection and introduces four practices of true belonging that challenge everything we believe about ourselves and each other. 
 
With her trademark mix of research, storytelling and honesty, Brown again changes the cultural conversation, offering us the clarity and courage to discover a clear path to true belonging in our communities, organisations and culture. 
 
 
Praise for Brené Brown 
 
‘Brené empowers us each to be a little more courageous’ The Huffington Post 
 
‘Practical and insightful’ Sheryl Sandberg, former Facebook COO and bestselling author of Lean In 
 
‘Brené cuts through the noise and speaks to what makes us human’ Brigadier General Brook J. Leonard, United States Air Force 
 
‘Brené has profoundly inspired our product leaders to design in and embrace vulnerability, rather than engineer it out' Danielle Krettek, founder, Google Empathy Lab 
 
‘The master of hope’ Metro

How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

Daring Greatly

From the acclaimed bestselling author and self-help legend 
 
'She's so good, Brené Brown, at finding the language to articulate collective feeling' Dolly Alderton 
 
'A wonderful book: urgent, essential and fun to read. I couldn't put it down, and it continues to resonate with me' - Seth Godin 
 
Every time we are faced with change, no matter how great or small, we also face risk. We feel uncertain and exposed. We feel vulnerable. Most of us try to fight those feelings - or feel guilt for feeling them in the first place. 
 
In a powerful new vision Dr Brené Brown challenges everything we think we know about vulnerability, and dispels the widely accepted myth that it's a weakness. She argues that, in truth, vulnerability is strength and when we shut ourselves off from vulnerability - from revealing our true selves - we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives. 
 
Daring Greatly is the culmination of 12 years of groundbreaking social research, across every area of our lives including home, relationships, work, and parenting. It is an invitation to be courageous; to show up and let ourselves be seen, even when there are no guarantees. 
 
This is vulnerability. This is daring greatly.

A wonderful book: urgent, essential and fun to read. I couldn't put it down, and it continues to resonate with me'

Brené writes with wisdom, wit, candor and a deep sense of humanity. You should read this book. I double dare you

The brilliantly insightful Brené draws upon extensive research and personal experience to explore the paradoxes of courage. I can't stop thinking about this book

Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project

In an age of constant pressure to conform and pretend, Daring Greatly offers a compelling alternative. Dare to read this book!

Chris Guillebeau, author of The $100 Startup

The world needs more guides like her who are showing us a wiser way to our inner world. Daring Greatly is all the navigation you'll need

Brené Brown, Ph.D., MSW is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. Her groundbreaking work was featured on Oprah Winfrey's Super Soul Sunday, NPR, and CNN. Her TED talk is one of the most watched TED talks of all time. Brené is also the author of The Gifts of Imperfection and I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't). She also hosts the Unlocking Us podcast.

Every time we are introduced to someone new, try to be creative, or start a difficult conversation, we take a risk. We feel uncertain and exposed. We feel vulnerable. Most of us try to fight those feelings - we strive to appear perfect. 
 
In a powerful new vision Brené Brown challenges everything we think we know about vulnerability, and dispels the widely accepted myth that it's a weakness. She argues that, in truth, vulnerability is strength and when we shut ourselves off from vulnerability - from revealing our true selves - we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives. 
 
Daring Greatly is the culmination of 12 years of ground-breaking social research, across every area of our lives including home, relationships, work, and parenting. It is an invitation to be courageous; to show up and let ourselves be seen, even when there are no guarantees. 
 
This is vulnerability. This is daring greatly.

Rising Strong

A powerful new book from Brené Brown, the international bestselling author of Daring Greatly, on how to have the courage to embrace fear, failure and vulnerability to create a life you love

A mind-blowing, life-changing read … gets to the heart of life

An inventive approach to self-help and healing from an author who has helped countless readers change their lives.

Brené Brown is the master of hope, of believing things could be all right as well as finding ways to try and make them better.

The powerful and inspiring book from the bestselling author of Dare to Lead and The Gifts of Imperfection, showing you how to have the courage to embrace fear, failure and vulnerability to create a life you love. 
 
'Thanks to Brené Brown I learned how to be vulnerable’ Miranda Hart, actress, comedian, and bestselling author of I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You 
 
‘A life-changing read’ Red Magazine 
 
Struggle can be our greatest call to courage. 
 
The physics of vulnerability is simple: If we are brave enough often enough, we will fall. This is a book about what it takes to get back up. 
 
Building on Brené’s groundbreaking research on vulnerability and daring, Rising Strong presents an inspiring process to rise from falls, overcome mistakes and face hurt in a way that brings more wisdom and meaning into your life. 
 
Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values forged. Our stories of struggle can be big or small, but regardless of their magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives. 
 
Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness. It’s the process that teaches us the most about who we are. 
 
Written with Brown’s trademark mix of research, storytelling and honesty, Rising Strong is the powerful, personal and practical guide to embracing fear and failure and creating the life that we love. 
 
Praise for Brené Brown 
 
‘Brené empowers us each to be a little more courageous’ The Huffington Post 
 
‘Practical and insightful’ Sheryl Sandberg, former Facebook COO and bestselling author of Lean In 
 
‘Brené cuts through the noise and speaks to what makes us human’ Brigadier General Brook J. Leonard, United States Air Force 
 
‘Brené has profoundly inspired our product leaders to design in and embrace vulnerability, rather than engineer it out' Danielle Krettek, founder, Google Empathy Lab 
 
‘The master of hope’ Metro

Brené Brown

The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit

*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* 
 
#1 New York Times bestselling author Brené Brown returns with an urgent call to reimagine the essentials of courageous leadership. In a time when uncertainty runs deep and bluster, hubris and even cruelty are increasingly framed as acceptable leadership, Brown delivers practical, actionable insights that illuminate the mindsets and skill sets essential to reclaiming focus and driving growth through connection, discipline and accountability. 
 
Over the past six years, Brené Brown, along with a global community of coaches and facilitators, has taken more than 150,000 leaders in 45 countries through her Dare to Lead courage-building work. In Strong Ground, Brown shares the lessons from these experiences along with wisdom from other thinkers. This is a vital playbook for everyone from senior leaders developing and executing complex strategies to Gen Z-ers entering and navigating turbulent work environments. It is also an unflinching assessment of what happens when we continue to perpetuate the falsehood that performance and wholeheartedness are mutually exclusive. 
 
With equal amounts of optimism and caution about AI, Brown writes, 'I hear a lot of experts trying to soothe people’s anxiety about the pace of technological change by offering platitudes like, What makes us human will ensure our relevance. This is dangerous simply because, right now, we’re not especially good at what makes us human. We’re not hardwired for this level of uncertainty, and many of us feel as if the constant need to self-protect is driving the humanity right out of us. This is why organisational transformation today must foster deep connection, deep thinking and deep collaboration. We need the courage to lead people in a way that honours and protects the wisdom of the human spirit.' 
 
Brown offers a broad assessment of the skill sets and mindsets we need moving forward, including the capacity for respectful and difficult conversations, increased productive urgency and smart prioritisation rather than reactivity, strategic risk-taking, paradoxical thinking and situational and anticipatory awareness skills. She identifies the toughest skill set as the discipline, humility and confidence to unlearn and relearn. 
 
Brown writes, 'Individuals and organisations are building new muscles. Finding our strong ground — that athletic stance — is the only thing that can provide both unwavering stability in a maelstrom of uncertainty and a platform for the fast, explosive change that the world is demanding.'

Brené Brown

Books by Brené Brown

Articles featuring Brené Brown

Books to help you be better at love

Audiobooks to help you understand other people

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter