Rising Strong
"We are the authors of our lives."
— Brené Brown, Rising Strong (2015)
Introduction
| Rising Strong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full title | Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead |
| Author | Brené Brown |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Resilience; Vulnerability; Personal development |
| Genre | Nonfiction; Self-help |
| Publisher | Spiegel & Grau |
Publication date | 25 August 2015 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback); e-book; audiobook |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | 978-0-8129-9582-4 |
| Goodreads rating | 4.3/5 (as of 27 October 2025) |
| Website | penguinrandomhouse.com |
📘 Rising Strong is a nonfiction book by research professor Brené Brown that sets out a three-phase framework—“the reckoning, the rumble, and the revolution”—for getting back up after setbacks.[1] First published in the United States by Spiegel & Grau on 25 August 2015, it extends Brown’s earlier work on vulnerability into a repeatable, practice-based process.[2] The book blends qualitative social-science research with personal narrative and case stories from families, teams, and leaders to teach readers how to own hard stories and write a braver ending.[2] Chapters move through the three stages—reckoning with emotions, rumbling with the stories we’re telling ourselves, and living the learning as a daily practice.[1] On release it debuted at #1 on the Publishers Weekly Hardcover Nonfiction list for the week of 7 September 2015, selling more than 30,000 print copies that week.[3] The book drew mainstream attention—including an Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday episode titled “Rising Strong” on 4 October 2015 and selection as one of the Greater Good Science Center’s Favorite Books of 2015.[4][5]
Chapter summary
This outline follows the Spiegel & Grau first-edition hardcover (2015; ISBN 978-0-8129-9582-4).[6]
🚀 1 – The Physics of Vulnerability.
🌊 2 – Civilization Stops at the Waterline.
📖 3 – Owning Our Stories.
⚖️ 4 – The Reckoning.
⚡ 5 – The Rumble.
🐀 6 – Sewer Rats and Scofflaws.
💔 7 – The Brave and Brokenhearted.
🎯 8 – Easy Mark.
♻️ 9 – Composting Failure.
💃 10 – You Got to Dance with Them That Brung You.
🔄 11 – The Revolution.
Background & reception
🖋️ Author & writing. Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston; the book grows out of her long-running studies of courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy.[7] As a grounded-theory researcher, she developed the rising-strong method from stories gathered across settings—from Fortune 500 leaders and the military to artists, couples, teachers, and parents—and frames it as a daily practice.[2] She introduced the project on 9 April 2015 as “a book about what it takes to get back up” and about “owning our stories of struggle.”[8] The published model formalizes three phases—reckoning, rumble, and revolution—that guide the chapter flow and reader exercises.[1] Around publication, national outlets discussed its relevance for work and leadership, including a Washington Post On Leadership Q&A and a Time interview that explored why “failure has to hurt” to produce learning.[9][10]
📈 Commercial reception. Publishers Weekly reported that Rising Strong opened at #1 on its Hardcover Nonfiction list for the week of 7 September 2015, with more than 30,000 print units sold in its first week.[3] Subsequent Nielsen data on the PW site show the book on the Hardcover Frontlist Nonfiction list for at least 12 weeks that fall; for the week of 12 October 2015 it recorded 8,541 units that week and 166,336 year-to-date, with Highest Rank: 1 (7 September 2015).[11] The publisher also lists the book as a #1 New York Times bestseller.[2]
👍 Praise. Kirkus Reviews called the book “an innovative one-two-three–punch approach to self-help and healing” and said Brown “gives readers the necessary tools to get up and try again.”[12] Spirituality & Practice praised its framing of “rising strong” as a spiritual practice that can be cultivated.[13] UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center included the title on its “Favorite Books of 2015” list, highlighting its guidance for responding to shame with compassion.[5]
👎 Criticism. Writing from an evangelical perspective, The Gospel Coalition cautioned that the book’s raw language and lack of explicit Christian theology could be a stumbling block for church audiences.[14] In a long profile, The Guardian questioned aspects of tone and commercialization—calling the subtitle “schmaltzy” and the register “folksy”—and noted that some media dubbed Brown a “self-help queen,” a label she rejects.[15] Trade coverage also situated the book squarely within self-help and leadership coaching, a positioning some skeptics view as simplifying scholarship for the mass market.[12]
🌍 Impact & adoption. Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday devoted an episode titled “Rising Strong” to the book on 4 October 2015, amplifying its reach beyond the book world.[4] Brown’s organization publishes a free “Rising Strong Reading Guide” for book clubs, teams, and individuals, supporting group study and workplace discussions.[16] Related training built on Brown’s research—such as The Daring Way—offers facilitator-led workshops applying her courage-building and shame-resilience tools in clinical, educational, and organizational settings.[17] Business media also discussed its implications for leadership culture; for example, Fast Company argued that embracing failure is essential to learning, drawing on Brown’s work around the book’s release.[18]
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedPRH2015 - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "This Week's Bestsellers: September 7, 2015". Publishers Weekly. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Rising Strong with Brene Brown". Oprah.com. Oprah Winfrey Network. 4 October 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Our Favorite Books of 2015". Greater Good Science Center. University of California, Berkeley. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedOCLC909776909 - ↑ "Brené Brown". Penguin Random House. Penguin Random House. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ "I Love Big Book News and I Cannot Lie!". brenebrown.com. Brené Brown, LLC. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ "Brené Brown's guidance for the negative thinker in all of us". The Washington Post. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ Aneja, Arpita; Belinda Luscombe (10 September 2015). "Brené Brown: "We're spit-shining failure."". Time. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ "Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists — 12 October 2015 (Hardcover Frontlist Nonfiction)". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz, LLC. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Rising Strong". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ "Rising Strong — Book Review". Spirituality & Practice. Spirituality & Practice. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ Nelson, Heather Davis (9 November 2015). "Brené Brown on Rising Strong". The Gospel Coalition. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ Cadwalladr, Carole (22 November 2015). "Brené Brown: 'People will find a million reasons to tear your work down'". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ "Rising Strong Reading Guide". brenebrown.com. Brené Brown, LLC. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ "The Daring Way". brenebrown.com. Brené Brown, LLC. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ Naasel, Kenrya Rankin (3 August 2015). "Brené Brown Wants You To Wallow In Your Failure". Fast Company. Retrieved 27 October 2025.