Don't Settle for Safe

April 3, 2017
Roberts—a bestselling author, media personality, and daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes and Serita Jakes—opens her heart in generous proportions as she shares how becoming pregnant at age 14 changed the trajectory of her life. She explains how, as a young person in the public’s eye—specifically, the church’s eye—she felt far too dependent upon what others thought of her. Roberts, who was the divorced mother of two children by age 23, is now remarried and raising six children and stepchildren. Christian readers of millennial age will appreciate Roberts’s candor and homespun wisdom on learning to glean lifelong lessons from failures. She touches on getting rid of excuses, weeding out unnecessary distractions, appreciating our roots, choosing friends wisely, forgiving others while not forgetting, and gaining a visionary purpose for life, among other ways of living. While Christ followers will applaud Roberts’s personal journey to emotional wellness, more serious Bible students will be disappointed by the author’s focus on a how-to, can-do attitude that does not lean more heavily on the strength and word of God.

This inspirational book, written by the daughter of well-known minister T.D. Jakes, takes on a lively and encouraging tone in its narration by Sisi Aisha Johnson. Johnson's uplifting voice merges vulnerability and honesty as listeners are invited to not allow past failures to hinder their current state of growth. The topics covered in each chapter are delivered in a way that makes listeners feel as if they're catching up with an old friend over coffee. Johnson's rich tones are often equal parts conviction and compassion. Since this is a short audiobook, Johnson is never left vocalizing any one idea for too long. Overall, she allows listeners to be washed over by peaceful thoughts until the author's advice has reached its end. V.C. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine