A CHANGE IS GONNA COME - Jacquelin Thomas
BET/New Spirit
April 2003
SYNOPSIS: In this richly-textured, thought-provoking new novel, the author of SINGSATION and THE PRODIGAL HUSBAND crafts a story that will resonate with African-American women everywhere, as well as those who enjoy fiction with a Christian sensibility.
INSPIRATIONAL FICTION: (4+) Tricia-Anne Blades
REVIEW: With A CHANGE IS GONNA COME, the talented Jacqueline Thomas delivers a stirring, heartfelt novel of the path from brokenness to wholeness.
Four women, four levels of brokenness, and each burying it behind their work at Family Financial Assistance Unit. This brokenness starts to surface when Cordelia becomes terribly ill and each woman must face her own demons.
Cordelia hides her bitterness of past hurts behind her relationship with God. So intense is this relationship, that she neglects the precious gift God has given her- her daughter.
How like the trials each Christian faces! Cordelia’s illness puts to the test her relationship with God. Does her suffering cause her to “despise it, faint, treat it seriously or would it cause her to grow?” Such questions are sure to bring the reader into the reality of their own situation. What would you have done if you were in her shoes?
The beauty of A CHANGE IS GONNA COME is the battle fought by Cordelia in her broken state and the effect it has on her counterparts. It shows that discovering God and having a relationship with Him, can place you in the position of strength and gives you the ability to overcome challenges faced in life.
Though the novel’s main character is Cordelia, the lives of Tangie, Bonita and Sabrina are also explored. Each woman’s brokenness has its roots in past experiences. Could the seed planted by Cordelia when she walked “righteous” before them pull them into situations of wholeness?
The nature of lust is like a grave- it never says enough! Tangie’s brokenness starts in the arena of fleshly lust. Stemming from a childhood of a mother’s neglect, her journey is long and sometimes dark. Tangier is looking for love in all the wrong places, insomuch that when love stares her boldly in the face, it is difficult to get rid of the addiction that keeps her broken. Herein, Ms Thomas shows how the enduring love of God demonstrated through man can mend broken relationships and produce wholeness in an individual.
Bonnie doesn’t realize her beauty and worth as one of “God’s Leading Ladies.” She is portrayed as a woman of worth, a woman of beauty, full of grace and the love of God. Bonnie, however, doesn’t understand her purpose. This purpose that will cause her to step out of her comfort zone and into the zone of purpose God has planned for her life. She seeks satisfaction, acceptance from her friends, not realizing that her deepest gift is to be found deep within. Her journey of discovery takes her form the brokenness of the lost of a loved one to discovery who she really is.
Sabrina differs in her brokenness. Her issues are deep seated, she believes that society owes her much and this was owed to familial rejection as a young child. Unlike the others she uses her brokenness to become vindictive. Man becomes her target and they are milked for all they are worth. Does this solve her problem? She becomes even more broken before she is able to gain a level of wholeness in her life.
This story is powerful with strong characterization. A fitting title to bring you from brokenness to wholeness- indeed A CHANGE IS GONNA COME.
tricia@romanceincolor.net (18th March 2003)