Walk Through Fire: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Triumph by Sheila Johnson (A Book Review)

Sheila Johnson overcame immeasurable odds. When she was just sixteen, her family imploded when her father left their family for another woman. It destroyed her mom. Defiantly determined she would not be caught in this predicament as a woman, she set out to prove just that. However, this singular event shaped Sheila in more ways than one.  

Music was her refuge. She became an accomplished violinist and managed to get a full scholarship to college. She was well on her way. Then she met a young, ambitious man named Bob Johnson in college. They began dating and married a few years later. Her life and self-esteem was being shaped and molded by her new husband. His drive and ambition had carried them to great heights professionally.

However, behind closed doors, their marriage became a toxic breeding ground of lies, deceit, and emotional abuse. She had come full circle to the moment of her youth that she was determined not to experience again. When her thirty-three-year marriage to Bob ended, Sheila was struggling to find herself and rebuild life on her own terms.

She walked through shame, humiliation, male chauvinism, and racism to find her sweet spot. She became a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and formidable businesswoman. Sheila has indeed walked through fire and triumphantly come out on the other side.

I am grateful to Sheila Johnson for sharing her story. It is a story of courage, redemption, and fierce determination to keep moving forward.

Impactful moments/quotes from the book:

Sheila was reading in her bunk bed and was climbing down the ladder to come down for dinner.

Sheila’s dad to Sheila: “Just jump, I’ll catch you,” Dad said stretching his arm toward me. He’d never suggested such a thing before, so I was excited. I threw myself off the bunk, grinning from ear to ear-and then smack! I hit the floor hard. Confused, with the wind knocked out of me, I looked up at him.

“That’s a lesson,” my father said. “Don’t trust anybody.”

I started crying. “I trusted you,” I said. But he just turned and walked out of the room.

Sheila: “I wouldn’t want to live through that pain again. But the truth is, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today if I hadn’t gone through it. I walked through fire and survived. I am the salamander.”

Sheila: “My journey here has been arduous, as you’ve read in these pages. But going through those awful times built my character and my strength.”

Rating 10/10

Where Wild Peaches Grow By Cade Bentley (A Book Review)

Nona Davenport left Mississippi angry, hurt, and determined. Running away from everyone she knew, she heads to Chicago. She is estranged from her father and sister due to a betrayal that Nona takes deeply personal.

While away, she transforms into a different version of herself, a version she settles for but is far from owning fully.  She makes a new life, one that is built on the importance of history and truth, which is a contradiction to how she currently orchestrates her personal life. When her father dies, Nona returns home. She comes face to face with her own history; a history buried by denial, lies, and assumptions.

Julia Curtis is a woman with abandonment issues. All of which was brought on by her mother leaving as a child and her sister years later. Now she is tasked with burying her father. One of the first steps of this process is notifying Nona, her estranged sister of over 20 years. As she does, her abandonment issues comes to the surface. Will the sisters rebuild the bond they once shared or will the distance and estrangement between them widen the gap even further?

I wanted to like this book better than I did. I’m not against a slow burn at all, which I consider this book to be. There were too many chapters for it to move so slow. I loved the premise of the story. The multiple narratives in the story had many loose ends. With the different narratives not being tied in, it seemed disjointed at times and became an exhaustive read. It was rich with potential, but didn’t hold my attention. I was ready for it to be over.

Rating 6/10

Don’t Cry For Me By Daniel Black (A Book Review)

Jacob Swinton’s life is coming to a close. He is met with a sense of urgency to write to his son Isaac. He shares his life’s story through a series of letters. The letters; part revelation, part remorse, detail Jacob’s upbringing, his marriage, his divorce, and his beliefs on manhood, etc.

Jacob’s view on life and manhood is challenged when his son Isaac is born. Isaac, an expressive child bubbling over with feelings, did not enter the world in typical male fashion. This serves as the catalyst for the complexities that make up he and his father’s relationship.

Jacob’s letters shed light into the intergenerational divide of societal norms that is so deep between father and son. Although vestiges of growth is apparent in the letters, it struggles against his innate inability to have a demonstrative love towards his son. He is a flawed man ridden with inner conflict that is true to men of a particular generation. 

What I appreciated most about Don’t Cry For Me is the authenticity. It shed light on the less than ideal reality of some family relationships.

*****Some insightful and poignant quotes from the book:

November 27th, 2003 chapter
“If you still don’t understand why I’m telling you all this, just keep reading. A man’s history is all he has. It says more than his mouth ever will. You’ll see what I mean soon enough. ” ~Jacob

November 28th, 2003 chapter
“I stood there wondering how this had happened to me, thinking of all the things I’d do differently  if I could live again. It was useless thinking,  if course. Nothing was about to change. Not for me. There are no do-overs in this life. Either you get it right or wish you had.”~ Jacob

December 24th, 2003 chapter
I always called you boy. When a father calls a boy son, he’s declaring his pride in him. I didn’t feel this way about you, even when you got grown.~Jacob

January 17th, 2004 chapter
The more I read, the more I saw myself. Knowledge is a funny thing, Isaac. It informs by exposing. It shows you precisely how much you don’t know.~Jacob

January 26th, 2003 chapter
Silence isn’t always quiet though. It troubles a man’s soul, forcing him to admit what he’d rather forget.~ Jacob

February 5th, 2004 chapter
Reading taught me that a man’s own life is his own responsibility, his own creation. Blaming others is a waste of time. No one can make you happy if you’re determined to be miserable.

All I wanted was to look you in the face and tell you I’m sorry. I had wounded you beyond my capacity to heal you.

Love doesn’t make us perfect; it makes us, want to be. By the time you discover this, your imperfections have done their damage.

February 8th, 2004 chapter
A man’s son is his truth unadorned. When he can look at him and be proud, his fatherhood is complete.

February 10th, 2004
You must learn to uproot unwanted seeds without destroying the entire harvest.

Rating 10/10

The Mother Of Black Hollywood: A Memoir By Jenifer Lewis (A Book Review)

“Artists are quickly labeled, and my label was “force of nature”. ~ Jenifer Lewis

Jenifer Lewis recounts her life to bring us a funny, insightful, and rich memoir. From her humble beginnings in Kinloch, Missouri to Broadway to Hollywood, Jenifer’s life was filled with crushing lows and equally exhilarating highs. She bares her soul in the most raw and truthful fashion as only she can. From sex addiction, a bipolar disorder diagnosis, to spiritual exploration, Jenifer owns her life boldly and unapologetically. Through it all, she comes full circle to find serenity and balance to live a rewarding life that commands the label “force of nature” in the most glorious and happy existence that shines through the pages.

I laughed out loud often (especially about a song that came from a camel ride), yet I gleaned many gems from Jenifer’s story. To see the beginning to the end and everything in between, was a lesson. Jenifer shows us what fighting for one’s own happiness looks like. Though difficult at times, she pushed through to get out of destructive cycles to get to her happiness. As if the retelling of her life wasn’t powerful enough, she wrote a letter to the reader at the end of the book. I really enjoyed that. It was the perfect end to sum it all up. I found myself reading it more than once and soaked up as much as I could. Great book.

Cool Quotes From Book

“Your playing small does not serve the world. Who are you not to be great?”~ Nelson Mandela

“There’s no greater journey, than the journey within.” ~ Beverly Heath

“The fact is many parents don’t or can’t give you everything you need. Mine couldn’t.  So, I went in search of substitutes. I often advise young people in this situation to understand there are probably people around every corner who will take them under their wing and help them on their way. But you have to ask.”~Jenifer Lewis

“If you can dream it, you can make it happen.”~ Shirley MacLaine

“Your landscapes are vast”~ Shirley MacLaine

“I’ve learned in life that what you give to others is what provides the most value to your life.”~Jenifer Lewis

“When you are not at your best, surround yourself with good people.”~ Jenifer Lewis

“You have to slow your roll; give yourself quiet time and stop to smell the roses, thorns, and all.”~ Jenifer Lewis

Rating 10/10  

I Am Debra Lee: a Memoir By Debra Lee (A Book Review)

Debra Lee sends the following message in the beginning of her memoir: “To all the shy girls, the introverts. Believe in yourself, work hard, use your voice, and you can be anything you want to be.” As a shy young girl herself, she started on a straight trajectory to college and then law school. The strong love for Black culture that she held fiercely throughout her young life came full circle when she started her tenure at BET.

Starting as general counsel and ending as CEO, she was a trailblazer who walked through the murky and sharky waters of office politics to carve out her own path. A path carved by fortitude and forged by fire that resulted in her becoming a force to be reckoned with in the business. She developed her skills by absorbing, observing, and working tirelessly in the trenches.

As a female executive among many male colleagues, she was oftentimes subjected to the patriarchal structure that sought to silence her contributions and ideas. However, she masterfully adjusted her sail and forged ahead with creative ways to use her voice. She stated: “That’s one of the many challenges of being a woman in the workplace, you always have a double consciousness.”

She used everything she experienced, good and bad, to build and cement her legacy. Debra Lee left a great blueprint to navigate through both career and life.

Debra Lee on perseverance: “I persevered not by becoming someone else but by embracing who I was (plus practice, practice, practice). 

Debra Lee on leadership: “Stepping into your flaws and all is the only way to lead.” 

Debra Lee on self-acceptance: “Whatever you do, own it. Because the consequences-good or bad- are yours and yours alone. 

Debra Lee on self-awareness: “There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to be the center of attention.” 

This was an insightful read. It was written in a straightforward way that provided great advice on how to show up in the workplace and the world at large. I liked how she demonstrated with grace an alternative way to show up in the workplace that may also garner success and grant one’s greatest desires.

She also demonstrated how a shy person can walk in their purpose by simply embracing all that they are, standing firm, and forging ahead despite insecurities. She worked and led in that perspective, and it unlocked so much for her. I am happy that she shared her story with us.

Rating 10/10

Walking In My Joy In These Streets by Jenifer Lewis (A Book Review)

As Jenifer said in her own words about this book in the epilogue, ” Auntie ain’t playing in this one.”  Truer words couldn’t have been spoken concerning this beautiful collection of Jenifer’s journey of life as she lives it. There was never a dull moment reading Walking In My Joy In These Streets. It was a joy to soak in all the lovely and sage wisdom oozing through the pages.

Jenifer Lewis’ larger than life personality shined throughout this book. It was laugh out loud funny at times. Other times, it was profoundly reflective. I was inspired by her ability to always push through and own who she is in her fullness.
All of her experiences led her face to face with herself, which she revels in with raw honesty. Jenifer’s bravery of walking in her truth is a testament to the gift she truly is.

I found Jenifer’s honesty in the book refreshing. I especially love the balance she struck between the funny and weightier nuances of life discovered along the way. This book was a fantastic read.

Rating 10/10

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (A Book Review)

Janie Crawford was a young girl born with a freedom in her spirit. That freedom was stifled by her grandmother”s  fear for her future.  Janie’s grandmother knew she was all she had in her world, and wanted to ensure security for Janie when she was no longer here.

Janie fought against  it initially. Though she didn’t lean into it, she did resign herself to her grandmother’s suggestion that she marry an elder gentleman named Logan Killicks. Janie settled into her marriage with Logan. Janie’s  restlessness bubbling beneath the surface, created conflict almost immediately. The union appeared shaky from the onset.

When Joe Starks passes through town, Janie takes her chance to escape from what she perceives as a life of gloom. Joe Starks was distinguished and self assured, a man going places. They married and hopped on a train to a town in Florida where he became the mayor. Janie became a woman expected to stifle her own ideas. As the mayor’s  wife, she was not allowed to mingle too closely with the common townsfolk.

Once Joe Starks is no longer in her world, she emerges as freedom personified. She looses her hair and takes to wearing overalls, and embraces her innate carefree spirit.

A young and carefree man named Tea Cake crosses Janie’s path. From the  beginning of their encounter, Tea Cake was Janie’s home. Wild, beautiful, and free best describes their love and union.They celebrate each other with joyful abandon. Janie is encouraged to come forth fully as herself,  which was discouraged prior to Teacake’s presence in her life.

A storm appears in their town and changes things;  bringing with it loss and uncertainty. It changes the course of Janie’s life profusely. Janie’s journey of walking in the freedom she always had within was  fascinating to experience as a reader. I read this book years ago as a high school student and loved it. It was a joy to read it all these years later as an adult. The story is part cautionary tale, part deliberate allowance. Their Eyes Were Watching God is truly a classic work art .

** Impactful Words From The Book**

It’s uh known fact, Pheoby, you got tuh go there tuh know there.

Two things everybody’s got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves.”

Rating 10/10

My Voice: A Memoir by Angie Martinez (A Book Review)

Driven, focused, and present. That’s only a few attributes to describe Angie Martinez. From an act as simple as showing up, Angie carved out a path for herself that allowed her to walk into her purpose. Simultaneously, she gained legendary status in radio by reveling in her genuine love for hip hop and possessing fierce work ethic.

It was inspiring seeing a young woman  figuring it out as she goes along, yet be very present and intentional in that exact space. Angie’s integrity and awareness has served her and her listeners for the greater good. This was a remarkable read with loads of life gems. Especially inspiring was her marathon experience. Angie sums it up like this: “Challenge yourself. If you can’t imagine the finish line, the first step is to just show up. And don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Run your own race.” It was a pleasure to read her story.

Rating: 10/10

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor (A Book Review)

Jay Gatsby, an alluring young man with promise, was shot to death at his West Egg, NY home. For all intents and purposes, this is a clear cut case of murder-suicide between local mechanic George Wilson and Jay Gatsby.

Not everyone believes this solid and neatly crafted conclusion to this unfortunate ordeal. Enter Detective Frank Charles, who is called in to find out what really happened. Detective Charles is relentless and is determined to do just that once he finds a diamond hairpin near the murder scene.

During his investigation, three women become persons of interest. Daisy Buchanan, a woman from Gatsby’s past who is currently married to Tom Buchanan, a philandering millionaire. Jordan Baker, an excellent golf player who plays on the national circuit, is Daisy”s best friend and knows Gatsby from earlier years as well. Catherine McCoy, a suffragette, passionate about women rights, whose sister Myrtle Wilson, is in an abusive marriage, is also a familiar acquaintance of Gatsby.

All three women are entangled in an intricate web of deception and obsession, carefully orchestrated by Gatsby himself. Will Detective Charles uncover the truth of who really led Gatsby to his demise?

A brilliant remix on the classic, The Great Gatsby, Beautiful Little Fools, offers a strongly crafted possibility of what happened to J. Gatsby. It is told from the perspectives of the women in Gatsby’s world.

I absolutely loved the reworking of The Great Gatsby. In Beautiful Little Fools, Cantor with much care and respect for the original story, beautifully offered a nuanced retelling of the timeless classic. It brought into focus the women of the Great Gatsby in an interesting way. I thoroughly enjoyed every drop.

Rating 9/10