Monica A. Coleman’s family experienced slavery, racism, war, sharecropping, poverty, and alcoholism. Trauma and mental illnesses ran through generations. In this candid autobiography, Coleman shares her own ever-evolving journey of finding comfort in God through these crises. This spiritual memoir by a Black woman theologian who has lived through mental health challenges invites readers to walk in her shoes.
What makes this book worth reading is also the complexity of the author’s journey. She is a high achiever who lived with undiagnosed bipolar disorder until her 20s. She is also a theologian who had doubts about and even found herself losing faith in God. Through telling her own truth, Coleman invites readers to look beyond the dogmatic certainty of the Christian faith. Life, trauma, racism, mental illnesses, and theologies are all complex issues. Some of these experiences defy language. Yet the unchanging truth about God’s love can be liberating. (Broadleaf Books).
About the Author
Mary Li Ma is a member of Plymouth Heights CRC church in Grand Rapids, Mich. She holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University and now works as a research analyst for a national research center on education equity.