Awake - by Jen Hatmaker (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From Jen Hatmaker--beloved New York Times bestselling author and host of the For the Love podcast--a brutally honest, funny, and revealing memoir about the traumatic end of her twenty-six-year-long marriage, and the beginning of a different kind of love story. At 2:30 a.m. on July 11th, 2020, Jen Hatmaker woke up to her husband of twenty-six years whispering in his phone to another woman from their bed. It was the end of life as she knew it. In the months that followed, she went from being a shiny, funny, popular leader, to a divorced wreck on antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds parenting five kids alone with no clue about her own bank accounts. Having led millions of women for over a decade--urging them to embrace authenticity, find radical agency, and create healthy relationships--this seemed nothing less than total failure. In Awake, Jen shares for the first time what happened when she found herself completely lost at sea--and how she made it to shore. In candid, surprisingly funny vignettes spanning forty years of girlhood, marriage, and parenting, Jen lays bare the disorienting upheaval of midlife--the implosion of a marriage, the unraveling of religious and cultural systems, and the grief that accompanies change you didn't ask for. And, drawing on all her resources--from without and from within--Jen dares to question the systems beneath the whole house of cards, and to reckon with the myths, half-truths, and lies that brought her to this point. More than one woman's story, Awake is a critical analysis of the story given to all of us: the story of gender limitations, religious subservience, body shame, self-erasure. With refreshing candor, Jen explores a Midlife Renaissance--grieving what's lost, cherishing possibility, and entering the second half of life wide awake.

Review Quotes

"Jen Hatmaker's story of heartbreak and her raw, real transformation will light you up in the best way. Her warmth, humor, and honesty are absolutely contagious, and I can't imagine any woman reading this without feeling seen, inspired, and totally empowered." -Mel Robbins, bestselling author of The Let Them Theory and host of The Mel Robbins Podcast "Sometimes the worst thing has to happen to us to move us toward the best thing. Jen Hatmaker walked through unbearable pain, heightened by public scrutiny, and brought herself, her children, and her friends through to a new life. And she did it with humor, brutal honesty, and a strength we can all learn from. This life isn't perfect, but if you're able to stay present in the toughest moments, the beautiful thing you find on the other side is your true, authentic self. It is brave of Jen to tell her story, flaws and all. I'm so glad she shared it with us." -Trisha Yearwood, Grammy-winning singer "Awake is Jen Hatmaker at her rawest and most courageous. This memoir isn't just a story; it's a lifeline for anyone navigating life's hardest chapters. With unflinching honesty and signature wit, Jen shows how to rebuild when life falls apart-stronger, more authentic, and beautifully awake. This book doesn't just speak to your heart; it revives it." -Jenna Kutcher, bestselling author of How Are You, Really and host of The Goal Digger Podcast "We are contextual beings. We absorb the messages and norms of our earliest environments and that tells us what to expect and endure. Jen Hatmaker is yanking down the veil here, generously sharing the most intimate story she has to offer while also asking bigger questions about what a girl, and the woman she becomes, is allowed to be in this culture. This is a gift." -Kelly Corrigan, New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me More and host of the Kelly Corrigan Wonders podcast