Atlas of the Heart

Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience

By Brené Brown

Random House, 2021. 336 pages. $35 (e-book $17, audio $38)

Shared definitions are crucial to effective communication. Just think of the word evangelical and the battles over what it means and who it applies to.

Brené Brown’s latest bestseller offers research-based definitions of 87 emotions and relational experiences, including distinctions between concepts like shame and guilt, empathy and sympathy.

Brown argues convincingly that more precision in how we use these ideas can help us be healthier, communicate better and resist mistreatment.

The book groups emotions into 13 chapters focused around concepts such as hurt (anguish, hopelessness, despair, sadness and grief) and good times

( joy, happiness, calm, contentment, gratitude, joy, relief, tranquility). Together they make up a chatty, profound and insightful reference book.

The format allows Brown to sum up the research she and her team have done over recent years. Their definitions carry more weight than any I might want because they’re drawn not from abstract reflection but from thousands of annotated interviews.

Brown is a research professor in social work in Texas. Her public speaking and corporate consulting have made her a celebrity. She’s not shy about mentioning her attendance at an Episcopal church, nor about her history with alcohol or her ongoing penchant for cursing and swearing. She’s a strong proponent for racial equality and diverse sexualities.

For Christians and non-Christians alike, and especially for those of us who grew up with emotional damage or limited emotional awareness, her books offer hard-earned insights that can enable individual and relational healing and growth.