5/5

I thought this book was going to be old white woman, wine mom bullshit, and in some ways it is. But as a melanated male urban youth, this book changed my life, and now I earnestly believe that Michelle Pfeiffer really could change the lives of a bunch of teenagers.

To be honest, I bought this book as a joke. I thought it would be funny to have on my bookshelf and that it would be a nice bit to bring up with friends. I was not religious before reading this book (although I had gone to a Catholic school). But the contents of this book really did change my life and allowed me to open my heart to love and Christ.

The book itself deals with Marianne's life and her reflections on A Course In Miracles, a slightly older book that I still have yet to read. But a better way to understand the book is not as two separate aspects, but as a reflection by the author herself and how the principles she adopted from A Course In Miracles changed her own life. It didn't solve all her problems. If you've read about her, you'd know her life has continued since and she's had her own troubles. But as she framed it, the Course gave her life meaning as she could finally fill the void inside her and truly embrace love.

I could probably spend pages talking about the lessons she gives (and admittedly, some of them are pretty hokey). But the reflections and lessons she teaches really can change your life. Before reading this book, I had spent a good ten years being angry at a family member for how he treated me and my siblings. Some days, I would spend hours doing nothing but seething at the thought of him, turning over old conversations and failures. I used to alternate between fear, disgust and hatred at times. But after reading this book and applying its principles, I was finally able to forgive him. I was finally able to look past how he had acted moments decades ago and see him in his entirety. I realized that he was just like me. He struggled to raise and care for us, and he was trying his best. I was finally able to return to love.