Feeding your spirit

Feeding Your Spirit

Are you looking for a literary check up from the neck up or searching to fill a hole in your soul? Well, stop looking and start reading because there is a plethora of personal development books on the shelves written by African American authors. Be it inspirational, motivational, spiritual or self-help, an increasing number of black folks are writing books of this genre because an increasing number of black folks are reading them. Self-help and inspirational titles are a driving economic force in the publishing industry, and our piece of the proverbial pie is getting bigger every year.

While the obvious current industry leaders in the motivational and inspirational books category are the best-selling authors and publishing powers Iyanla Vanzant and Bishop T.D. Jakes, there are a host of additional authors to turn to for messages of hope, empowerment and success for all areas of your life.

When it comes to motivation, turn to Les Brown, "The Motivator" whose books Live Your Dreams (William Morrow, 1992, 271 pp, ISBN 0-688-11889-5) and It's Not Over Until It' Over (Simon & Schuster, 1997, 255 pp., $23.00, ISBN 0-684-81560-5) incorporate much of Brown's engaging and humorous motivational public speaking flavor. Goal-setting and writing action plans are at the core of Brown's message in these two books as he encourages his readers to "develop the conviction that you can accomplish your goal. Your level of belief in yourself will inevitably manifest itself in what you do."

If you believe that God created you for a divine purpose, but are having a difficult time defining just what that purpose might be, spend a weekend reading Susan L. Taylor's In The Spirit (Amistad Press, 1993, ISBN 0-06-097645-4) and Lessons in Living (Doubleday, 1995, 163 pp., 25.95, ISBN 0-385-47868-2.) Easy reads, yet packed with thought-provoking messages of faith, purpose and divine living, Taylor's books will ignite the inner voice of your higher calling. "The vision you keep, the words you speak pave the way for your experiences" writes Taylor. "The mind is a prolific author. What you believe - along with the action you take - composes your life."

Co-Authors Linnie Frank and Andria Hall offer a refreshing recipe for your spiritual plate in This Far By Faith: How to Put God First in Everyday Living (Doubleday, 1998, 247 pp., ISBN 0-385-49260-X, ) with sound spiritual advice in the areas of marriage, career, parenting and friendship. Frank and Hall weave inspiring anecdotes of their personal friendship with biblical passages that essentially encourage readers to weather life's storms and keep on keeping on. The authors inform readers that, "spiritual surrender is paramount if we are to experience God's limitless blessings He has."

Willie Jolley will teach you how to respond to adversity in his soon-to-be-released A Setback is a Setup for a Comeback (St. Martin's Press, 1999, 224 pp., $23.95,ISBN 0-312-20349-7). Jolley provides a twelve step formula for getting back on your path after a setback. His message is that life is an action program and that "wherever you find a crisis, you will also find an opportunity."

While there are many more inspirational books by African American authors than this space permits to be listed, other recommended titles are George Fraser's Success Runs in Our Race and Race for Success (William Morrow, 1998, 378 PP., $26.00 ISBN 0-688-15248-1); You Can make It Happen (Stedman Grahman, 1997, Fireside, ISBN 0-684-81448-4); The 12 Universal Laws of Success (John Harris, 1997, The LifeSkill Institute, 160 pp., $12.95, ISBN 1-890199-00-1) and Black On Track (Alice Crowe, 1994, Eye of Atum Press,, 153 pp., $10.00, ISBN 0-9645984-1-8) and Unlimited Power: A Black Choice (Joseph McClendon with Anthony Robbins, Simon & Schuster, 1997, 425 pp., $24.00, ISBN 0-684-82436-1). We've all heard the adage "you are what you eat" well I also believe "you are what you read." If you want to be about success and personal growth, do your research, create a menu of motivational readings and get busy.