A Change Is Gonna Come [Paperback]

Jacquelin Thomas (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Kimani Press (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158314255X
• ISBN-13: 978-1583142554
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,274,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jacquelin Thomas is an award winning, best selling author with twenty-nine titles in print. Her books have garnered several awards, including two EMMA awards, the Romance In Color Reviewers Award, Readers Choice Award and the Atlanta Choice Award in the Religious & Spiritual category. Jacquelin was a 2005 honoree at the Houston Black Film Festival for the movie adaptation of her novel, Hidden Blessings. She was the first recipient to receive the Writers Achievement Award at the North Carolina Book Festival in Winston-Salem.

Although Jacquelin initially published in the romance genre, she decided to follow the call on her heart to write Christian fiction because she seeks to write books that will touch your heart and uplift your spirits with tales of characters who yearn to have an intimate relationship with God. Committed to writing books that glorify God and her growing teen audience, Jacquelin published the first of her Young Adult Inspirational Fiction series titled Simply Divine in October 2006. Her second book in the series, Divine Confidential was nominated for a 2008 NAACP Image Award. She has since gone on to publish two more books in the series.

When asked why she is so passionate about writing teen novels, Thomas shares that teens are confronted with so much--sex, drugs, violence and abuse, physically and mentally. They need to not only listen to what the world says about these things but also to what the Bible says.

Jacquelin is a member of the National Writers Union, Romance Writers of America and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She is happily married to her best friend and is the proud mother of three children. Jacquelin and her family live in North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life Changes, April 18, 2003

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Change Is Gonna Come (Paperback)

Date Reviewed: February 5, 2003

Strength, determination, and friendship are three words that describe Tangie, Bonnie, Sabrina and Cordelia, the main characters in Jacquelin Thomas' new book A Change Is Gonna Come. They all work at St. Paul County Human Services, trying to help women in need get their lives in order. The problem is that these four women are so focused on the lives of others, they don't seem to recognize their own problems.

Cordelia is a woman of God and on the outside her world seems perfect. Faith is a word that Cordelia uses a lot but it is something that she struggles to hold on to. When tragedy strikes, will she lose her faith and lose the things most important to her? Can she let go of past hurts and resentments in order to move on?

Tangie appears to be a prim and proper woman, but nothing could be further from the truth. She does not love herself and as a reader you wonder if she can reach within herself and learn to love the person inside or will her promiscuity destroy her?

Bonnie, the listener of the group, takes on everyone else's problems, while inside she is consumed with loneliness. She is hurt because no one ever asks about her problems, but she also realizes that if she doesn't open up and share her feelings the fault will lie wiith her.

Sabrina longs to be rich, loved and provided for, and since she has none of these things,her life is not a happy one. Sabrina's gossipy ways and the joy she experiences from other peoples pain may leave her out in the cold. Will she ever realize her faults and change her ways?

A Change Is Gonna Come is an excellent read. It shows the reader that prayer, strength and forgiveness has the power to change everything. This is an inspiring story that is very realistic and very touching. I highly recommend this wonderful book to others.

Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Changing For the Better, September 11, 2003

By 

R.E.A.L. Reviewers (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Change Is Gonna Come (Paperback)

This is a dramatic story of four friends who work together at St. Paul Human Services and the many issues that envelope their lives. Jacquelin Thomas guides you through the labyrinth of their trials, friendship, and faith.

Cordelia is the divorced mother of a teenaged daughter, Devon. She appears to have the strongest faith in God until tragedy strikes and she feels abandoned.

Bonnie Mae is lost and lonely after losing her husband. She fills the void by mothering her friends and compartmentalizes the pain she actually feels.

Tangie appears to have it all together to her friends, but has self-esteem issues from being abandoned by her mother. She tries to fulfill her need for love by having one night stands. She keeps her personal life very private.

Sabrina is extremely self-centered, materialistic and intrusive. She dreams of the time when she can really live the rich life instead of just pretending to do so. She has to pry into everyone's life to make sure she is doing better than them.

Each woman goes through a series of life changing events that could destroy them, but they keep the faith and God pulls them through. They are forced to look into the mirror and see all the flaws and insecurities that are hindering them from true serenity and a change must come.

This is one of the best books I have read by Jacquelin Thomas. She expertly intertwines the four women's lives and dots the story with just enough unpredictable twists to keep you turning the pages. I stayed up until 5:00am to finish this novel and the ending was not what I expected. This novel gives you food for thought. Take a true look in the mirror. Who do you see?

Tina
R.E.A.L. Reviewer

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, March 31, 2003

By 

Sean D. Young (Merrillville, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Change Is Gonna Come (Paperback)

A CHANGE IS GONNA COME is the story of four friends who all work together in the Family Services Department. Each woman has to trust God in the midst of their struggles.

Cordelia who to me was the main character in the book was a bible carrying goody, goody who always wanted to judge people. She was at the church each time the door was open. A debilitating illness strikes and her and she begins to question God faithfulness toward her. She goes through many emotions throughout her ordeal.

Tangie works with Cordelia and seems to be a desent person. She hates her mother. Tangie sees her mother as a loose woman and doesn't want to end up like her. The problem with this is Tangie is just like her. She has to trust God to deliver her from her lust demon.

Bonnie seems to be the person all the ladies go to when they have problems. Bonnie is a sweet woman who lost her husband and now lives with her dog. Bonnie loves the Lord and trusts him, but she has a self esteem problem. She does trust herself to live again after the death of husband. She's very crafty, but doesn't think she's good at it. She has to find that confidence within herself with God's help.

I saved Sabrina for last. This woman got on my last nerve. LOL
She has so many issues, I just felt sorry for her. First of all she only dated men that could give her things. Her reward to them was to sleep with them. She used so many men, I actually couldn't believe she had no remorse. She lied to her mother all the time. She told everyone's business she heard and to me was just a low down individual. She was broken and needed to be strengthen.

A CHANGE IS GONNA COME touches a lot of issues people face today, be it illness, brokeness, abandonment, lust and no self worth. It paints us a picture that only God can deliver you from these issues.

Great Job Ms. Jacquie.