Yesterday, I Cried: Celebrating the Lessons of Living and Loving - Softcover

Iyanla Vanzant

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743218582 ISBN 13: 9780743218580

Publisher: Atria Books, 2001

Synopsis

Bestselling author Iyanla Vanzant has had an amazing and difficult life -- one full of great challenges that have unmasked her wonderful gifts and led to the wisdom she has gained. In this simple book, she uses her own experiences to show how life's hardships can be relanguaged and re-visioned to become lessons that teach us as we grow, heal, and learn to love. Iyanla Vanzant is an example of how yesterday's tears become the seeds of today's hope, renewal, and strength.

About this title

Review:

"Life is about cleaning up the crap and, while you're doing it, being okay with the fact that you have to do it.... A word of caution. You can't get caught up in the crap! If you do, you will surely lose sight of the real meaning of life and lose your Self."

Iyanla Vanzant knows plenty about dealing with just such "crap." She has led a difficult life, full of periods of abuse and self-loathing, but she has managed to learn "the lessons beneath the tears" and move beyond her grief and into understanding. In Yesterday, I Cried, she passes these lessons along, continually stressing that past hardships can and should be used to teach us how to grow, heal, and love others and ourselves. The message is one that has been echoed in her bestsellers One Day My Soul Just Opened Up and In the Meantime, but when presented as a memoir, the result is particularly moving.

As any regular Oprah viewer knows, Vanzant is a feisty and charismatic orator, and her no-nonsense style translates well into print. She is candid about her experiences without ever painting herself as a victim, effectively coming across as inspirational rather than preachy or self-pitying. The tone of the book is especially engaging because she seems to be actively working out her problems as she writes, gently pulling the reader into what becomes a mutual catharsis. "Of all things to master," she asks, "why did I have to pick tears?" By the end of Yesterday, I Cried, she finds the answer. And in searching the depths of her own soul, she encourages others to do the same.

About the Author:

Rev. Dr. Iyanla Vanzant, author and internationally renowned speaker, is best known for her riveting work as the host of Iyanla Fix My Life on the OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). Oprah herself has called Iyanla, “the most powerful spiritual healer, fixer, teacher, on the planet.”  Oprah Winfrey has publicly acknowledged that Fix My Life and Iyanla was the turning point for the fledgling Oprah Winfrey Network. Susan Taylor, former editor-in-chief of Essence magazine calls her, “The real deal,” in the arena of personal healing and spiritual growth.”  Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love says, “Iyanla is a walking, talking, miracle in heels, who carries the energy to heal the masses.” Many of the 2.8 million people who follow her on Facebook lovingly call her, “auntie,” yet if you ask Iyanla she would say, “I am just an ordinary person committed to doing extraordinary things as a demonstration of what is possible when you love God, have faith in yourself, and trust the amazing process called life.”

As the Founder and Executive Director of the Inner Visions Institute for Spiritual Development, Iyanla conducts workshops and classes around the country, throughout Africa and the UK. Sharing her brand of practical spiritual wisdom, a blend of ancient African wisdom and universal principles, Iyanla has touched the minds and heart of more than 8 million readers in 23 languages. Her latest venture, the creation of MasterPeace Body Therapy, a line of natural body care products has received rave reviews on HSN.

Cooking and making scrapbooks are her guilty pleasures. Studying the Bible and other sacred texts is the foundation of her life. Iyanla cherishes her collection of over 100 Bibles in various translations. Watching re-runs of Law and Order is her joy. Spending time with her grandchildren and doing her own laundry is what keeps her grounded. Knowing that she is on purpose; loving what she does; doing everything with excellence; is what Iyanla Vanzant says makes her the woman that she is today.

About this edition

• Publisher: Atria Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0743218582
• ISBN 13: 9780743218580
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 314