Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton
The memoir, Love Warrior, by Glennon Doyle Melton has been called “epic” by Elizabeth Gilbert, “astonishing” by Rob Bell of The New York Times and Brené Brown declared that the book “blew me away.” So when I heard Oprah choose the book on CBS This Morning to be the next pick for her monthly book club, I thought about grabbing a copy.
When I purchase a book, which is pretty often, I like the experience to be kind of risky and mysterious. A guilty pleasure seeker, I actually enjoy not knowing everything about it before I buy. When I walked in to an indie bookstore one Saturday I was in the mood for a new cookbook, but picked up Love Warrior instead because of the beautiful cover, and of course, Oprah’s seal of approval.
Melton’s Love Warrior is a beautifully written memoir. Her story is painful, filled with heartache and the austerity of her honest feelings– broken and taped back together many times. Melton started her journey with a blog, using writing to clear her mind. Her words touched friends and strangers so deeply that their emotional responses, stories and comments came pouring in from around the world.
A very troubled teen, Melton overused alcohol and drugs to pull the two sides of herself together. Without “using” she didn’t know who she was. While the story isn’t terribly unique, I think that might be exactly why it resonates with so many. Like Girl, Interrupted, there are parts of the book so graphic, they are hard to forget.
As Oprah often does, she chooses books that many can relate to and that make the reader think. Love Warrior made me think. I was moved by Melton’s ability to express the depth of her feelings; keeping me engaged in her process of healing. While not for the faint of heart, if you’re a memoir fan, then I urge you to add Love Warrior to your collection — set it right next to Jacki Lyden’s Daughter of the Queen of Sheba. Bring your hankie!
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