The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

Brown stipulates that the republished text is fundamentally the same and that she still struggles with the issues identified in the first edition, including relationship troubles, disappointment, and “pools of low-grade depression” (xiv).

Writing in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, Brown is more aware than ever of her white privilege and feels that, rather than returning to normal, we all need to collaborate in the pursuit of a more just world. She acknowledges that we are not all on a level playing field when it comes to integrating wholehearted living and the courage to be vulnerable into our lives. Those who have experienced trauma, either through adverse life events or the daily dehumanization of racial discrimination, have a depleted sense of physical and emotional safety, which makes being vulnerable even riskier. While Brown agrees that such people will have greater difficulty opening up, she maintains that vulnerability remains an important goal: “[B]eing imperfect, authentic, and vulnerable is a function of being human—not a privilege afforded to those who can get away with it without being labeled, dismissed, and judged” (xix). Now, more than ever, living wholeheartedly means not only self-improvement but also addressing injustice and changing the world for the better.