Untamed

Published in 2020, Glennon Doyle’s Untamed is her third memoir. An accomplished writer, philanthropist, and activist, Doyle documents her lifelong journey of self-discovery and uses personal experiences to encourage women on their own respective journeys towards freedom. Through the intersections of gender, sexuality, religion, and race, Doyle unpacks the social conditioning that affects the lives of all humans, particularly women. Ultimately, Doyle offers a reflective guide to navigating life by looking internally and honoring one’s unique instinct, which she deems the “Knowing.”

In her Prologue, Doyle begins with a retelling of a visit to a zoo with her wife and two young daughters. The family encounters a cheetah named Tabitha whose handlers showcase her tamed wild instincts by having her chase a stuffed bunny tied to the back of a truck. The cheetah’s captivity resonates with Doyle, who reflects on her own captivity as a woman restricted by society’s conditioning. She imagines Tabitha reflecting on her lost sense of wildness and affirms that, despite Tabitha’s current captive state, she is still wild.

Doyle further explores her own captivity as a woman in Part 1, which she titles “Caged.” Through a series of vignettes, Doyle describes the various ways she has felt caged throughout her life and the social conditioning she has personally experienced.