Authors: Tamu Smith and Zandra Vranes
Enjoyment Rating: ****
Source: Hardback Copy
Back in 2011, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sista Beehive and Sista Laurel (aka Zandra Vranes and Tamu Smith) for the Mormon Women Project. They were fantastic to talk to-- funny and very real and willing to open up about why, as black Mormons and converts to the LDS Church, they felt they had a unique perspective to offer readers to their blog. In the years since that conversation, they have found even more success, launching their own radio show, speaking at various engagements, and now publishing their first book together, Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons.
In the book, the Sistas start out speaking generally on various topics ("Breaking and Entering" is about finding God, "Stand" is about having standards and standing things that are important to you). They expound on these topics in their trademark style-- talking forthrightly, with lots of emotion, in language peppered with Ebonics. Their book is at its strongest when it delves into their personal stories, which is something that they do to highlight most of the points they want to make. They talk about the time Sista Beehive got caught shoplifting, when Sista Laurel pretended that her mom was dead and her hilarious experience at EFY as a teenager. They're willing to talk about hard things and to help us see that even if we have hard circumstances in our lives, that shouldn't separate us from the love Christ has for us or from his plans for our lives. The book is a quick, useful read. I think it's important because of its perspective and because of its wonderful storytelling.
No comments:
Post a Comment