Book Review: Peace from Broken Pieces by Iyanla Vanzant

The first thing I said after finishing "Peace from Broken Pieces" was, "I will never complain about my life again!" Iyanla Vanzant survived poverty, the death of her mother and abandonment by her father, beatings, denigration, rape and denial by her 'care-givers', and pregnancy all by the time she was 16, and still become a powerful adult able to inspire the lives of millions. In her latest book Peace from Broken Pieces: How to Get Through What You're Going Through, Ms. Vanzant spares no detail in taking us through the experiences of her life which reveal the pathologies of our culture.

Though Ms. Vanzant refers specifically to her culture as an Black woman, the experiences she endures and rises up from are not limited to African-Americans. Women of all cultures will recognize the alienated man/woman relationships described by Ms. Vanzant, and will benefit from her brilliant insights into how to rise above cultural pathologies.

Imagine having this kind of childhood and struggling through being a single mother in the projects, to come out a best-selling author and part of Oprah's TV faculty, only to lose it all and more. Iyanla invested 3/4 of a million dollars in health-care services when her daughter became ill with cancer. Her daughter died, her husband left her, her bank took back her home, and she was left penniless.  And yet she rises again, and brings all of us who face difficult times up with her!

I have been a fan of Iyanla Vanzant since I read "In the Meantime" in 1998 which helped me heal my broken heart after the end of an important relationship. Peace from Broken Pieces comes to me at a perfect time.

At times my own struggles seem insurmountable and overwhelming. Reading Ms. Vanzant's book helps me to see that no matter what difficulties I face (or imagine I'm facing) and no matter how many generations old my challenges are, I can rise above and shine my authentic light to the world, and achieve peace and fulfillment.

I recommend this book for anyone who is facing challenges in these changing times and who is seeking a renewed relationship to peace, faith, and hope.

I invite you to attend a live interactive webinar with Iyanla Vanzant on Friday, December 3rd, 2010 at noon Pacific Time.  The webinar is called "How to Get Through What You're Going Through: Healing the Barriers to Personal and Business Success." Visit http://www.graphicgirlz.com/teleconference.html to learn more and register.