“ Love Warrior captures the beauty that unfolds when one woman refuses to settle for good enough , stops numbing or denying her pain , and makes her own rules for love and life .”
BOOK REVIEW
Love Warrior
Laura Rashidi-Yazd 3L Atlanta ' s John Marshall Law School sarah @ atlantalegalremedy . com
When Oprah Winfrey announced Glennon Doyle Melton ' s new memoir as the newest Oprah Book Club pick , saying , " Love Warrior captures the beauty that unfolds when one woman refuses to settle for good enough , stops numbing or denying her pain , and makes her own rules for love and life ," she launched another author to stardom . This author , however , had already made it on her own , and like her body of work displays , on her own inspiring terms . You may know Melton from her blog , Momastery , her women ’ s empowerment tours , or her first bestselling book , CarryOn , Warrior , all which detail her lifelong
struggle with substance abuse , eating disorders , self-image , and eventual journey to recovery , self-love , motherhood , and marriage .
In this new memoir , Melton picks up her journey after the birth of two more children and completes the story of self-discovery after the collapse of her marriage . Readers will find that Melton grapples with the same real issues we all face , learning to love honestly and deeply in the midst of life . In Love Warrior , Melton reveals that her husband Craig has been unfaithful , yet after the shock of his decade long infidelity , she stays .
“ Love Warrior captures the beauty that unfolds when one woman refuses to settle for good enough , stops numbing or denying her pain , and makes her own rules for love and life .”
Interestingly , Love Warrior recasts ideas presented in The Five Love Languages and Men are from Mars , Women are from Venus in the shadow of a crumbling marriage . The idea is not new ; couples give and receive love in different ways – mentally , physically , spiritually , and emotionally . Melton takes these ideas but draws back the curtain on her marriage to show how we view sex , communication , emotional intimacy , and parenting with a partner . It is a modern look at the challenges of finding authentic love after you have already said “ I do .”
Love Warrior is the story of marriage , but it is also the version of healing that is possible when we refuse to be complacent in life and instead face pain and love head-on . Melton describes how our ideas of marriage often make it impossible for couples to truly know one another . The book also captures what happens when one couple commits to unlearning everything they have previously known so that they can finally find love . “ You are not supposed to be happy all the time . Life hurts and it ' s hard . Not because you ' re doing it wrong , but because it hurts for everybody . Don ' t avoid the pain . You need it . It ' s meant for you . Be still with it , let it come , let it go , let it leave you with the fuel you ' ll burn to get your work done on this earth ,” Melton writes . While the book is not a traditional fairy tale , it is a story that resonates with modern readers , of how when we are brave , we are able to confront pain and love honestly . This is a love warrior , someone who loves deeply through the messiness of life .
Love Warrior is a brutal and tragic message , but a message that authentic love is how couples can ultimately , intimately know each other and claim happiness , “[ g ] rief is love ' s souvenir . It ' s our proof that we once loved . Grief is the receipt we wave in the air that says to the world : Look ! Love was once mine . I love well . Here is my proof that I paid the price .” While anyone who follows Melton ’ s blog knows that she ultimately left her husband and has found happiness elsewhere , Love Warrior is a telling read for anyone in a relationship contemplating love , loss , or genuine living . Harpo Films , Winfrey ' s company , has optioned the film and television rights to the book ; stay tuned , this isn ’ t the last you will hear from Melton as she warriors on . ▪
12 March 2017