Enough

A Brené Brown “Nightstand” Pick 

“Reading Shauna [M. Ahern] is what taught me we need never be ashamed of our appetites. In Enough, she breaks open the myth that women who want are to be feared, and allows us to take up the space we were born to occupy. Plus, she’s very, very funny.”
—Lena Dunham, filmmaker, actress, and author of Not That Kind of Girl

“Frank and engaging…[A] beautiful new memoir…Some of my favorite memoirs break down the divide between story and reader, creating a sense that, for a while, readers are living alongside the author. Such is the case with Enough. Ahern’s insights are a gift to readers as she outlines the steps that brought her closer to things that matter: writing, creativity, time with family and community, the cultivation of gratitude and spirituality—as well as all the ways these things are bound up in and amplified by great food.”
—Diana Abu-Jaber, The Washington Post

“A candid, instructive memoir of self-growth.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Ahern shares her relatable journey from a painful childhood growing up with a difficult mother and an adolescence filled with shame for both her body and how different she felt from her peers. Her candid voice, which is at times both funny and poignant, guides readers through her life, always with a reflective eye…A courageous memoir by a gifted writer, this is the authentic and honest journey of someone who has sought out a life lived with purpose, and a brave testimony of one woman’s empowerment.”
—Booklist

“Enough isn’t just the incredibly well-written story of Shauna Ahern’s life, it’s also one of the best accounts of human growth I’ve ever read. Through abuse, rejection, illness, romance, motherhood, and finally, authentic truth-telling, Ahern leans into the uncomfortable realities of being a person in the world. Reader, do not be afraid. These uncomfortable truths are told so compassionately, so beautifully, you won’t be tempted to look away. This book reveals the big heart of one woman, and in return, shows us so much of what we can hope to become.”
—Ashley C. Ford, writer and host of BuzzFeed News’s PROFILE

“Shauna Ahern’s beautifully crafted collection of essays ferries us through her courageous journey from decades of shame and uncertainty toward a life of agency, freedom, and dignity. Raw and vulnerable, Enough is a testament to the healing power of a purpose-filled life.”
—Lisa Congdon, artist and author of A Glorious Freedom: Older Women Leading Extraordinary Lives
 
“This rich and candid collection will be a balm for anyone who has inhabited the tricky space between daughter and mother, wife and woman, woman and human being. Enough feels like a long exhalation.”
—Molly Wizenberg, author of A Homemade Life and Delancey