Carry on Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton was originally published by Scribner in 2013. This memoir tackles the challenges involved in everyday life, and how we often seek to mask our own struggles by appearing to be perfect. Melton gives an intimate account of her own struggle to come to terms with her issues, examining the power in authentic living. In the first chapter, Melton talks about her struggles with disordered eating and addiction. She explains how, from a young age, she felt that she was exceptionally sensitive and vulnerable to the world around her. After discovering that she was pregnant on Mother’s Day 2002, Melton vowed to change her life and end her cycle of addiction. She realized that in order to do this she needed to let go of her layers of protection that she had built up, and admit her own vulnerability in an effort to connect with others. Melton examines how our society is structured around deception and duality: a public self and a secret self. It is not generally considered socially acceptable to reveal our truths. Throughout the book, Melton delivers anecdotes that illustrate her journey from party girl to motherhood, and her attempts to master the basics of homemaking, a world that was foreign to her. Along the way, she admits that she has struggled to adapt to her new roles of wife and mother and that she is still far from perfect. She communicates her longing for others to be open and honest about their own struggles, as women, in particular, are often expected to juggle multiple roles with ease. She offers an intimate look into the shortcomings and disappointments so few want to acknowledge in their experiences of marriage and motherhood. Melton encourages people to approach life with bravery and a sense of humor. She stresses the importance of not striving for perfection, but rather to do things to the best of one’s abilities and practice self-love and compassion along the way. Melton drives home the fact that children notice the behaviors they see exhibited in adults, rather than the ways adults tell them to behave. Therefore, it is imperative to display love, acceptance, and kindness so that children can, in turn, learn these behaviors for themselves, and put them into practice with their peers. Even the smallest act of kindness and acknowledgment can have a profoundly positive impact that might be well beyond our expectations. Melton discusses the importance of confidence and humility, and how the two go hand-in-hand. The best kind of confidence, according to Melton, is not tied to specific talent or ability, as those things are fleeting. She asserts that there is a confidence that can be developed just by accepting one’s own inherent value. In addition, there is certain magic in practicing activities that are enjoyable without attaching oneself to the outcome. Melton talks about writing, not because she believes she is the best at it, but because it brings her joy and that is reason enough. Melton muses over the fact that she is now potentially unemployable due to the fact that she has been so candid in her writing, just one of the many challenges of adopting writing as a vocation. She encourages readers to think about what it is that brings them to life, because that is the real gift they can bring to the world. After moving six times in the last eight years, Melton admits that wherever you are, life is challenging and uncomfortable. There is no perfect place, and you can’t know if there is something better out there for you. The best we can do is to stop trying to chase happiness and allow ourselves to be satisfied with what is, accepting life’s ups and downs. She cautions against listening to the fear that tends to creep up, the voice that tells us that resources are scarce and that we must get as much as we can while we can, lest we be left behind. If we one is willing to sit with discomfort long enough, she assures readers that the fear will dissipate and love will appear in its place. At the end of the book, Melton writes about her desire to adopt a baby, and the obstacles she came up against in the process. She examines how these struggles caused her to question everything about herself and her life, including her faith and devotion to God. In the end, she realizes that every obstacle, every struggle is part of God’s plan for her and that she just needs to learn to trust the process. Her message to readers is clear: live life to the fullest, don’t let the fear win, and everything else will fall into place.

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Glennon Doyle (Melton)

Adult

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Nonfiction

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Carry on Warrior

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