J2J Day 10: Iyanla Vanzant on Oprah
I was on Oprah today. OK. Blink. You missed me. Several times. I was in the audience for almost all of Iyanla Vanzant’s twenty-two appearances on Oprah. I vividly recall the Maundy Thursday in 1998 when Oprah struggled to pronounce Iyanla’s name correctly prior to the start of taping. I was in the audience because I had … Read more
Blitz Oprah’s Producers: Color Me Butterfly and Saving Promise Grassroots Campaign
Oprah’s last season launches on September 13, 2010. I’m one of those ultimate viewers who has been watching since day one when her show was A.M. Chicago. My life shifted on Maundy Thursday, 1998 after the taping of her show with Iyanla Vanzant. I was hoping Oprah wouldn’t pick Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen … Read more
Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
Anna Quindlen captured the heart and soul of every woman who has ever tasted the bitter fruit of abuse: “It’s like he stole my soul.” (page 219) She deftly navigated the undercurrents of domestic violence. She powerfully demonstrated how our society and legal system enable both the abuser and his/her victim to continue destructive behavior patterns. She turned a bright spotlight on the Patty Bancrofts of the world who seek to control rather than empower women. She threw down the gauntlet to families everywhere who rear women to be helpless doormats and condone the vicious conduct of men through their silence. She painted a sensitive portrait of the shattered innocence of a child caught in the crossfire. In short, Anna Quindlen turned over every rock and examined the mass of maggots hiding underneath.
