Rating: 
Summary: It definitely opened my soul and more
Review: I definitely recommend this book to anyone in need of uplifting or self-affirmation. I wish there were books like this for teenage boys. I will try to get my son to read it as well and lift up his soul. Thank you Iyanla - you're God's gift to humanity!
Rating: 
Summary: Honestly? A let-down...
Review: On TV this woman impresses the living daylights right out of me. I approached this book with interest and high expectations-- maybe that was my problem.Some of the book is highly practical, very useful indeed. The exercises are good for providing focus and make a nice reference for later. But as I worked my way through, I was increasingly distracted by the authors constant presence in the book. I felt as if I were in a counseling session with a mentor who mostly wanted to talk about herself. Again, may have been part of my expectation problem-- had I picked this up as an autobiography, I think I would have been very moved and inspired and impressed. But as it was, I ultimately felt that the book's focus was badly torn between the reader and the author.
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Summary: One Day My Soul Just Opened Up
Review: This book explores personal growth and is essential for those who are seeking answeres and awareness in thier own lives.
Rating:
Summary: a must read for anyone searching for self.
Review: Although I am a big fan of Sister Vanzant, I was unprepared for the inspiration in this work. If the principles written here are followed, Personal peace and awareness are yours. I would recommend this particular work to anyone male or female, who is searching for inner awareness and personal growth. Iyanla explains each daily principle in a way that anyone can understand. She as always gives personal examples to further explain herself and shows us her basic, human side.
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Summary: Not a Disappointment, It's Even Helping This Old White Lady
Review: Hardly a "disappointment". This book is excellent. And I'm happy to say, it is for ALL women (and men for that matter), and has even helped this old White lady along for the past several weeks to see things differently, to expand more spiritually. True, Vanzant doesn't address YOU or YOUR problems... Instead, she leaves that up to YOU. No one can know you better than yourself; no one can tell you how to reshape your life better than you... I don't like strangers telling me how to "fix" myself, so I appreciate the fact that Vanzant never does this in her book. I also appreciate the fact that Vanzant doesn't force her religious views on her readers. Instead, she shows respect for everyone's individual beliefs while giving readers "permission" to explore their OWN spirituality and the way they view the world. The chapter on Trust, for example, got me thinking and prompted me to progress to a new, better, higher level of understanding about what "Trust" means TO ME. Psychologists call it "reframing" -- seeing things from a different perspective so you gain a greater understanding of whatever the "things" are. Vanzant "reframes" a lot of things, helping readers to see issues like Creativity, Trust, and Personal Divinity from different angles. I recommend this book to EVERYONE who wants to explore their own souls and gain a greater appreciation of themselves and their relatioship to their Spiritual nature. You have to do the work yourself, but this is an excellent tool to help you do just that.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Gee, the book sounded so good, so I bought it. I will keep it -- probably to give to someone else on a birthday or other occasion. But I found it simplistic, kind of selfish, and oddly negative. I couldn't relate to the kinds of experiences she described in her own life, and she didn't do a good job of getting beyond HERSELF to help the book's contents relate to ME and MY LIFE. She does not do a very good job of HELPING OTHERS do and then interpret the exercises, either. It's difficult for me to admit this, but I found that I didn't have much respect for the experiences this author describes in her early life. In terms of the book's content, she describes how she basically messed up her life from youth on, so it's taken her decades now to climb to this point she has reached. She HAS reached a good point, and I respect that and aspire to her kind of optimism and power. I'm glad she's risen out of her troubled past, but she created that big deep hole from which she had to rise in the first place! And, again, her writing did not help me to relate to what she wrote about or use her experiences to help me in my own life.
Rating: 
Summary: moving from the inside
Review: I am a big fan of Iyanla, ever since I happened to pick up her autobiography (which I don't see in print anymore). This day-by-day workbook helped me to focus on one new spiritual concept per day and really think about its meaning. However, the one issue I have with Iyanla, and other personal-growth experts, is a lack of focus on moving OUTWARD using what we've developed on the inside. It's important to put these concepts into active play--in my case, for instance, by working on accepting a bad boss and changing my own career rather than blaming my employer for my unhappy work situation. Or also, to focus on spending time with my family, especially my two nieces, even when I dont want to, because they need my love and attention. Keep it up, Iyanla!
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Summary: An excellent spiritual workbook and guide for Soul searchers
Review: This book is a wonderful workbook style guide to those of us looking to make changes in our lives. If you are someone who has reached a point in your life where you want and need to make life changes, get this book! Iyanla Vanzant has a wonderful sense of humor that everyone can relate to. She write as she speaks and her vocabulary is familiar and funny. Her advice is direct no BS advice/encouragement to get going with these changes. She answers the questions, "OK, now what do I do?" This book is simple and managable for those of us who love to say "I have no time to find myself." This workbook is simple and fun. You will make time for Iyanla's humor and words of wisdom. Put this book on your kitchen table in the morning and take it to bed with you at night. Once you get into the routine of waking up and going to sleep with this book you will look forward to your time with Iyanla and more importantly with yourself. And before you know it, Your soul will just open up! Love it when that happens!
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Summary: Encouraging Ego and that's all
Review: Ms. Vanzant is good at encouraging us to feel good about ourselves, but doesn't take into account that our lives are not just about "us". She discourages learning about history, science, and the arts; which can be the thing that brings many of us to life. Too much focus on what are already the problems of the kids in our society. Lack of interest in the "whole" and the interesting things we can discover if we look outside of ourselves and our small focus. Already our kids and young people have been discouraged from going further in their education to learn more about why and how we are the way we are as humans. The more we learn about other subjects, the more we are able to deal with adversity.
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Summary: MY SOUL DID OPEN UP
Review: One Day My Soul Just Opened Up is a wonderful and insightful look into lifes ups and downs. Mrs. Vanzant shares her own ups and downs and helps the reader begin to cope with theirs through commentary, mediations and words of affirmation. If you ever wondered "Why did this happen to me" or "Nothing ever goes right for me" this book is a must have! Mrs. Vanzant's book offers 40 Days and 40 Nights to spirtual wellness, but after day 1 your soul will begin to open up. divine2001@go.com
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