THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 20, 1995 TAG: 9508180592
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Book Review
SOURCE: BY YOLANDA ROBINSON COLES
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
THE VALUE IN THE VALLEY
A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas
IYANLA VANZANT
Simon & Schuster. 319 pp. $22.
According to Iyanla Vanzant, African-American women are often the last to be considered, tested or even recognized. Traditionally, they have been primed for positions of servitude. During the time of slavery they suffered physical abuse, brutality and severing of their maternal and familial bonds. They are seldom told that they are loved, needed or even wanted.
The Value in the Valley: A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas, the latest book by Vanzant, the author of Acts of Faith, deals with the negative energies and ideals many African-American women carry. These energies manifest themselves in physical and emotional illnesses, substance abuse, physical abuse and repetitive disastrous relationships.
Vanzant, a Yoruba priestess and spiritual life counselor, lays a framework that any woman, regardless of race or financial standing, can use to know and heal herself. She describes recurring negative situations - challenges, obstacles and dilemmas - as valleys and slight inclines as ditches. She clearly explains what is happening and what might be done to change a situation, and cites several cases to clarify her points, the most revealing being her own personal struggles.
The Value in the Valley outlines 10 valleys in which African-American women often find themselves: light; understanding; courage; knowledge and wisdom; other people's problems; comeuppance; purpose and intent; nonresistance; success and love. Sometimes, they are in several valleys at once. If experience is the best teacher, then follow-through and memory are the best reinforcements.
This book is spiritual, but not religious. It is ageless and timeless. If you have ever wondered ``why me?,'' ``what did I do?,'' ``could I have avoided this situation?'' or ``what is wrong with me?,'' then this guide can set you on a path to recovery of yourself.
Though it speaks with an African-American focus, any woman who faces drowning in a valley can learn to swim and survive. In the final analysis, it is how a woman uses the knowledge gained by experience that ensures her success and survival in life. MEMO: Yolanda Robinson Coles is a free-lance book critic in Norfolk and
Durham, N.C. by CNB