Book club questions for Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown explore the complex web of emotions, behavior, and thoughts that are triggered by our experiences.
How can we make lasting change in our lives? Is vulnerability a weakness, or the greatest measure of courage? How can we choose loving ourselves, over making other people comfortable? How do we stop numbing, and start feeling and learning again? Does naming an experience give it more power, or power of understanding?
Atlas of the Heart is a New York Times bestseller and a five-part HBO Max documentary series. It is a true roadmap to a better self, and a beautifully written one. It is not only quite informative, but an easy to read book with beautiful illustrations.
The Synopsis
In Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and 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 heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds 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 on Brown’s singular skills as a storyteller, to show us how accurately naming an experience doesn’t give the experience more power—it gives us the power of understanding, meaning, and choice.
Brown shares, “I want this book to be an atlas for all of us, because I believe that, with an adventurous heart and the right maps, we can travel anywhere and never fear losing ourselves.”
Book Club Questions for Atlas of the Heart
1. Did any of the explanations of specific emotions or experiences surprise you? If yes, what was surprising?
2. Did you come across any emotion or experience and think, “That’s what that feeling is called!” or “I know
that experience”?
3. Are there any behaviors that you might work toward changing because of something you learned from Atlas?
4. What resonated for you from the section on empathy misses?
5. Have you started paying attention to the difference between stress and overwhelm. If so, has it helped?
6. Since reading the book or watching the HBO Max special, have you had any experiences where you thought, “Wow, I know what that is now!” or “Wait—I know what’s happening and why”?
7. What do you think about the idea that “For this work, we are all mapmakers and travelers.”, as well as the author disclosing that she doesn’t have all the answers?
8. Did you find this book easy to read?
9. Do you agree with Brené that there is a crisis of emotional literacy?
10. Did the definition of any of the emotions surprise you? Did you disagree with any of the definitions?
11. Do you agree with the pitfalls of nostalgia? Can you think of any examples in history or in your personal life where nostalgia and rumination and harmful?
12. How do you feel about the usage of images and illustrations throughout the book?
13. As stated in the book: “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world. What does it mean if the vastness of human emotion and experience can only be expressed as mad, sad, or happy?”
14. Being vulnerable is brave. Do you agree?
15. Did you ever feel you had a superpower as a child? What do you think about Brené’s?
16. Would the practice of gratitude lead to more contentment and ease in your life? Are you willing to try it?
17. If this is the map of the heart, trace your greatest journey on this map. What was your origin and what’s your destination in this human or emotional discovery?
Additional Recommendations
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
For over a decade, Brené Brown has found a special place in our hearts as a gifted mapmaker and a fellow traveler. 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, which has sold 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. The guideposts not only help us understand the practices that will allow us to change our lives and families, they also walk us through the unattainable and sabotaging expectations that get in the way.
Brené writes, “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.”
Think Again by Adam Grant
Intelligence is usually seen as the ability to think and learn, but in a rapidly changing world, there’s another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn. In our daily lives, too many of us favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt. We listen to opinions that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard. We see disagreement as a threat to our egos, rather than an opportunity to learn. We surround ourselves with people who agree with our conclusions, when we should be gravitating toward those who challenge our thought process.
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant is an expert on opening other people’s minds–and our own. As Wharton’s top-rated professor and the bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, he makes it one of his guiding principles to argue like he’s right but listen like he’s wrong. With bold ideas and rigorous evidence, he investigates how we can embrace the joy of being wrong, bring nuance to charged conversations, and build schools, workplaces, and communities of lifelong learners.
You’ll learn how an international debate champion wins arguments, a Black musician persuades white supremacists to abandon hate, a vaccine whisperer convinces concerned parents to immunize their children, and Adam has coaxed Yankees fans to root for the Red Sox.
Think Again reveals that we don’t have to believe everything we think or internalize everything we feel. It’s an invitation to let go of views that are no longer serving us well and prize mental flexibility over foolish consistency. If knowledge is power, knowing what we don’t know is wisdom.
Happy reading! ❤️
I love to read and I enjoy exploring a range of genres including contemporary and historical fiction, mysteries, thrillers, nonfiction, and memoirs. If you would like me to review your book, feel free to reach out to me!