From Library Journal
Vanzant is a motivational speaker, spiritual counselor, ordained minister, and Yoruba priestess (minister of the ancient Nigerian religion). A frequent guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show, this prolific author also makes regular appearances on best sellers lists. Yesterday, I Cried is chiefly an autobiographical account of how Vanzant triumphed over her troubled past to achieve success. Losing her mother at age three, she was a childhood victim of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. A single mother at 16, Vanzant rushed into an abusive marriage at 19 and was soon raising three children alone on welfare. Despite this, she earned both undergraduate and law degrees and now counsels others on overcoming difficult circumstances to achieve happiness and spiritual fulfillment. In One Day My Soul Just Opened Up, Vanzant speaks of pursuing spiritual and personal growth. Unfortunately, her advice is often redundant and sprinkled with vague platitudes, e.g., "You can only have what is for you to have" and "Love will heal anything that is not an expression of love." Though Vanzant's rich, sonorous voice is certainly an asset to these abridged productions, it cannot compensate for their meager content. Her many fans will probably expect to find these at public libraries, but purchase only to cover demand.ABeth Farrell, Portage Cty. Dist. Lib., OH Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Vanzant shares her personal beliefs and philosophies for dealing with life's daily problems and blessings; the text includes detailed explanations and reminiscences. The author's strong, deep voice clearly reflects her own inner strength. Reading with precision at a steady pace, Vanzant allows time for the concepts of her ideas to gently flow to the listener. Her emotions grow more spontaneous when she talks about personal experiences. As her feelings rise, her voice takes on more energy, enhancing her discussion of incidents that led her to form her own philosophy of life. Piano interludes act as divisions for sections and allow the listener time for reflection. P.A.J. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review
Marianne Williamson Ivanla Vanzant has written an eloquent companion to daily life. Her book is a treasure box full of spiritual jewels.

Review
Marianne Williamson Ivanla Vanzant has written an eloquent companion to daily life. Her book is a treasure box full of spiritual jewels.

Review
Marianne Williamson Ivanla Vanzant has written an eloquent companion to daily life. Her book is a treasure box full of spiritual jewels.

Book Description
One Day My Soul Just Opened Up is a program of inspiration and motivation that will help you work through problems and improve your emotional and spiritual health. Through her words, Iyanla provides you with the tools to tap into your strengths and make your dreams come true.

About the Author
Iyanla Vanzant is the award-winning and bestselling author of Acts of Faith, The Value in the Valley Faith in the Valley, and In the Meantime. As an empowerment specialist, Spiritual Life Counselor, and ordained minister, she lectures and facilitates workshops nationally with a mission to assist in the empowerment of women and men everywhere.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Iyanla Vanzant's wildly popular workshops, lectures, and books are all focused on one thing: getting your life together. The author of such highly successful works as Acts of Faith, In the Meantime and Yesterday, I Cried, Vanzant has touched the lives of men and women all over the world. Part of Vanzant's appeal is that she always speaks from personal experience, sharing her own past traumas and heartaches with her audience. She is not afraid to admit her fears, her mistakes, and her faults, because she has triumphed over them. Her inspirational words are designed to help her audience achieve this as well, through some soul-searching of its own.

One Day My Soul Just Opened Up is Vanzant's program for personal healing and transformation. There are daily meditations, each broken up into a section for the morning and one for the evening, covering such topics as self-love, truth, peacefulness, and trust. By encouraging listeners to write their thoughts in a journal each evening, Vanzant aims to draw out the most elusive inner emotions and conflicts. This introspective act of journaling, which has been recognized in recent studies by the medical community as an important method of healing, helps the listener apply Vanzant's advice to daily life.

Vanzant's voice rings out with optimism and strength, making the audio edition a unique experience. The powerful emotional convictions that have shaped Vanzant into a renowned speaker and author are revealed in her warm, expressive tone. Her insight, experience, and caring will guide listeners to let go of all thepettycomplexes and anxieties that prevent them from attaining peace of mind.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

One Day My Soul Just Opened Up is a program of inspiration and motivation that will help you work through problems and improve your emotional and spiritual health. Through exercises and readings, Iyanla provides you with the tools to tap into your strengths and make your dreams come true. One Day My Soul Just Opened Up will open your mind, heart, and soul to the truth of your identity as a creative and powerful being.

SYNOPSIS

We all know what it's like to be in a "valley"a deep, cold dark place in life where we may feel hopelessly trapped. On this two-tape set, Iyanla Vanzant, bestselling author of One Day My Soul Just Opened Up: 40 Days and 40 Nights Towards Spiritual Growth, In The Meantime: Finding Yourself and the Love You Want and The Value in the Valley: A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas, reminds us that "a valley is a low point between two mountains" and that each kind of valley holds its own treasures for teaching and strengthening us.

In her discussion with Justine Toms of New Dimensions Radio, Vanzant points out that there is more to life than fleeting moments of pleasure, and she shows the way to that state of permanent internal well-being called joy. "If you don't like what's going on, you're the producer rewrite the script," she tells us.
Topics explored in this dialogue include:

How to hear the "still, small voice" that turns your life around

The value of pain in helping you focus on problems

Expressing the beauty and power of the Creator in your life

How to honor what you feel when you feel it
And much more!

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Vanzant is a motivational speaker, spiritual counselor, ordained minister, and Yoruba priestess (minister of the ancient Nigerian religion). A frequent guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show, this prolific author also makes regular appearances on best sellers lists. Yesterday, I Cried is chiefly an autobiographical account of how Vanzant triumphed over her troubled past to achieve success. Losing her mother at age three, she was a childhood victim of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. A single mother at 16, Vanzant rushed into an abusive marriage at 19 and was soon raising three children alone on welfare. Despite this, she earned both undergraduate and law degrees and now counsels others on overcoming difficult circumstances to achieve happiness and spiritual fulfillment. In One Day My Soul Just Opened Up, Vanzant speaks of pursuing spiritual and personal growth. Unfortunately, her advice is often redundant and sprinkled with vague platitudes, e.g., "You can only have what is for you to have" and "Love will heal anything that is not an expression of love." Though Vanzant's rich, sonorous voice is certainly an asset to these abridged productions, it cannot compensate for their meager content. Her many fans will probably expect to find these at public libraries, but purchase only to cover demand.--Beth Farrell, Portage Cty. Dist. Lib., OH Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile - Pamela A. Johnson