#BlackLoveBooks Challenge Day 11: Inspirational: a book that encourages you to love

I worked at Borders Bookstore during the early 2000s. Back then, among some of the books flying off the shelves were Harry Potter,  Oprah Book Club selections, and any author who had been a guest on Oprah’s show, including Dr. Phil and Iyanla Vanzant. Being an ignorant and arrogant 20-something-year old, I didn’t read, nor did I think I needed to read Vanzant’s In the Meantime, One Day My Soul Just Opened Up, or Yesterday, I Cried. I still haven’t read them, but cut to ten years later and I devoured Peace from Broken Pieces: How to Get Through What You’re Going Through.

First of all, can we pause and appreciate the title? It’s one of my favorites along with Langston Hughes’ I Wonder as I Wander. Every once in a while, I find ways to sprinkle either title into conversation, not necessarily to reference the books themselves, but to sound smarter and contemplative.

There’s plenty to contemplate while reading Peace from Broken Pieces. Vanzant shares her life before, during and after being blessed with the Oprah midas touch. She recounts the falling apart of her marriage, but even more heartbreaking is her daughter’s battle with terminal cancer, which came to an end on Christmas day.

Vanzant writes about the lessons learned with each trial and tribulation. Admittedly it’s a process. These setbacks would leave anyone bitter–towards life and other people–but Vanzant literally learns how to find peace in her life and finds ways to continue to love herself and others. This book was inspirational to me because it reminds me to do the same.

This post corresponds with the Instagram #BlackLoveBooks Challenge by @booksandbrunchbookclub