NetGalley Review,

After doing some much needed research, and now an autistic who isn’t newly diagnosed, I see sow this author is so problematic. I will no longer be supporting this author or his work. I will also be adjusting my previous review.

Unlearning Shame is a thoughtful and poignant. It deals with the ideals of shame that society has placed upon us, that in turn we have internalized. It speaks on what to look at within ourselves and society to allow us to live as a guilt free as possible as our authentic selves.
I am honestly still reeling after reading this. There were some wonderful questions posed and several very helpful charts that you can fill out or reference to help with breaking down your own thoughts and feelings. Unlearning Shame was incredibly easy to read. I finished in two days. However, putting the information to use is going to be a life long practice. Every time I read something by Devon Price I come away with big thoughts and feelings, this was no exception.
I received an ARC and am leaving a review of my own volition.

I would classify this under necessary but hard reads (hard because of the topic, not because of the level needed to read, though I would describe that as advanced).

The author does an excellent job of outlining what systemic shame is, and why it does not work. It also does a wonderful job of setting up workbook portion of the book.

Once you get past what I consider to be very triggering, the beginning, you work into a more complex roadmap of how to focus on self and overcome the shame we have learned.

I am going to have to re-read it to really absorb everything, but I am glad I came across it on net galley in which I received it for a voluntary and honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Rodale Inc for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. I was so (surprised) and excited to get approved for this book while I was in the middle of reading Unmasking Autism and waiting for my library hold of Laziness Does Not Exist. I'm one of those people that when you read and love one book from an author, I want to read them all.

This book was raw and real, and it was written clearly and concisely. No fancy jargon here; it was a very accessible read. It was a good mix of personal stories and research, but I will say that there was just a bit too much political discourse for my personal taste (mind you, I mean overt political discourse such as the binary "us vs them" party system- not human rights discourse, which I am here for).

I was originally thinking that I would benefit most from the discussion of personal shame, but I quickly realized that reading about intrapersonal shame and global shame was also very stimulating. I found all three topics helpful and enjoyed reading about their interconnectedness. I resonated with the overall research and enjoyed learning about new ideas and different perspectives on the topic of shame.

Once the book officially releases, I will be recommending it in a POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) facebook group that I'm in, because I know a lot of us deal with different levels of shame surrounding our physical limitations living with this disease.

Sometimes you read a book and it helps you better understand the world around you and sometimes you read a book and it helps you better understand the world inside of you and this book does both in ways that are validating but also very confronting and that is very good.

Some parts of this book are difficult to read because they force you to reflect on your own shame and how it affects your life and so I had to take breaks to really think about it. I am glad though, this is important work and being conscious of how you are a victim of shame, your own and others', is necessary to dismantle the negative ideas that have seeped into your mind.

This is an in-depth analysis (the word feels too stiff for this book and yet, look didn't feel serious enough) at how systemic shame affects all of us, in our relationships to others and to the world and to ourselves, in which Dr. Devon Price explains brilliantly and (one of Price's strengths) in such easily comprehensible and relatable ways elements of history, psychology, sociology, etc. Then, in the second half of the book, he offers concrete examples and paths to unlearning this shame and what life without letting it govern our values, worldviews and decisions, can look like.


This book is not about judging yourself for having done things wrong, or how to become a better person. It's not even about becoming "happier" or "your more authentic self". It's about reframing things so that shame isn't the main hidden motivator or controller of morality. As simple and as complicated as that is.


I am leaving this reading experience with a list of newly formulated understandings and thoughts about my own life that I will undoubtedly forget to implement at first - which is why I took so many notes and cannot wait to get a physical copy I can transfer all my annotations and highlighting to - thanks to the many actually applicable and useful series of questions and "exercises"(? I hesitate to call them such as this book does not fall into the usual platitudes of self-help books).


Thank you Rodale Inc., Harmony and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Thank you to Dr. Devon Price for writing this book.