Non-fiction books aren’t my preference mainly because I take too long to read them, especially if it’s labeled a “self-help” book. However, I do indulge sometimes in the realm of non-fiction when I’m intrigued or in a book club. In this case, my book club decided on reading “Bamboozled By Jesus: How God Tricked Me Into the Life of My Dreams” by the actor Yvonne Orji. Some of you may have seen her on Insecure as Molly, a proud Jesus-lover, or a proud Nigerian on social media. Here are my thoughts on the book.
Let me first start by saying I’ve been listening to books on Audible. I can’t get myself to sit and physically read a book for some reason, other than the Bible. What that is? Well, pure laziness. Anywho, about 30 minutes in, I quickly realized that I should have bought the book. I would have highlighted almost half the book if I chose that option first. But don’t worry, I ended up buying the book afterward for later references.
The title alone got me intrigued before reading it… well… technically listening to it. There have been times in my life where I felt bamboozled by Jesus myself. Bamboozled by Jesus though? Tuh! There have been times where I asked God, “Now Lord, where is this going?! Why this situation NOW?! When is my time going to come?!” Well, expect to see a lot of this in Orji’s book.
According to Yvonne Orji, this is a non-self-help book that recommends trusting God through your hardships and tapping into the gift that God gave you. This book contained her journey of becoming the woman that she is today by communicating with God regularly and listening to Him about tapping into her gifts. I believe that she was successful in her claim of this book. It’s definitely not your typical “self-help” non-fiction book with steps to follow, but how to live as a believer of God when you want to get to a happy place. Not only that, but it also involves humor. She had scriptures to back up everything she suggested in her book, and I do mean EVERYTHING! Her interpretation of the Bible is ME wrapped with a bow on top. I believe that her Bible interpretation is helpful for those who have trouble understanding it and it gives you a different perspective.
I’m no celebrity by any means, but her story was so relatable to me. Everything wasn’t always easy for her when it came to trusting God and she showed that in her book. I couldn’t help but compare the mentality she had in her sorrowful moments to how I felt in mine.
Because this wasn’t the typical self-help book, you’re not going to see a lot of step-by-step instructions on overcoming your situation. However, you will see a lot of nuggets to hold on to. Here are a few things that I got out of the book.
- You may be wearing sneakers to a situation that God told you to put slippers on for. Take them off!
- When the Holy Spirit speaks, you better take copious notes.
- If you can receive God’s “yes” with praise, why can’t you receive God’s “no” with trust?
Overall, this is the most Jesusy hilarious yet helpful book I’ve ever read and I loved it. Orji loves her some Jesus and it shows throughout her book! I was already a fan of her, but I’m even more of a fan now. I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars and would recommend this to anyone who needs a little motivation. You feel bamboozled by now but think about it as God’s way of setting you up for something greater… or protecting you from something.
Have you read the book? If so, what did you get out of the book? I’d love to know.
Take care!
~Live Laugh Love~
I absolutely loved this book and line you I will buy the hard copy. I love your review. It summed the book up perfectly. I listened on audiobook and although I want the hard copy for note taking and future reference. I think the audiobook was amazing. The book is so relatable to my current situation.
Thank you so much!