Customer Reviews

I Know I've Been Changed

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What is a girl from Sweet Poke, Arkansas supposed to do when she has a backwards family that humiliates her to no end? Get as far away from them as possible. This is the dilemma of Rae Rollins which ReShonda Tate Billingsley presents in I Know I've Been Changed. Rae, broadcast star extraordinaire, has the perfect life. Head anchor at a top Houston TV channel making big bucks and a handsome rich fiancée, Myles. But all that glitters is not gold. The best laid plans are sure to hit a snag when her family invades her space; using her as an ATM, calling and begging for money or showing up, loud and ignorant at her job. Take her cousin Kevin; he is on the news for committing mayhem, robbin' and shootin'. And his brother has the nerve to come to the newsroom and ask for money for Kevin's defense. Rae wishes they all would just disappear. And now Mama Tee is demanding she come to the family reunion. Will the nightmare ever end? But the Bible says pride goes before a fall. Rae has a few things to learn about family, faith and forgiveness.

Rae's perfect dollhouse is about to crumble. Myles' late nights and a new boss, who is out to get her, are about to consume her made- to-order existence. Circumstances dictate a return to Sweet Poke and now she is right smack in the middle of family conflict, reminisces of an old flame and the return in her life of the one person who has hurt her the most.

This novel definitely kept me entertained. The characters were whacky; Mama Tee reminded me of Tyler Perry's Madea. This is the third novel I've read this year that has sister conflict as Rae's sister, Shondella, was a piece of work. Rae was not a likeable character but the premise of redemption prevailed. This reviewer delighted in the theme of "going home", back to one's roots. At times the dialogue of country folk was out of character and the vocabulary a little advanced but overall, the characterizations rang true. Tate Billingsley has struggled with finding her "place" in the literary landscape of boxed-in genres but seems to have accepted her destiny as a contemporary Christian Fiction writer, itself an ambiguous term. Nevertheless, fans will be satisfied no matter what.

Dera Williams
APOOO BookClub

You will be after this one!

Reshonda has done it AGAIN, and I for one, am glad she'll keep on doing it... in this latest family drama... we meet and fall for Raedella Rollins who left the small town of Sweet Poke, Arkansas.

In search of bigger and better things she takes a bus bound for the lone star state. She has very little outside of her four mismatched suitcases, a newsroom job offer, and a promise to never look back.

Fast foward to years later, Rae has done well for herself considering her humble beginnings... she's a top-rated talk show host, a celebrity news anchor, and fiancée to Houston's star councilman. The future looks bright for Rae.


But now that she's reached the top, her less than perfect family comes knocking. Mama Tee, the grandmother who raised her, calls with unwelcome family updates, Shondella, her jealous older sister, guilts her into sending money regularly.

Rae is hard pressed to think of something worse than an unexpected reunion with her country kinfolk. But when her picture-perfect world comes crashing down literally... Rae's family calls her back to Sweet Poke and the life she left behind.

Once again Reshonda has introduced us to some of our very own people in her characters (whether we want to admit it or not) she has also given us a list of charactters to fall in love with and wonder about how their stories truly end... I see a sequel for this one as well.

Reshonda deserves 10 out of five stars for this one, and you, your family, friends and even your not so good friends all deserve this gift so run out and pick up 'I know I've been Changed' so that you may all figure out what I've known for years...

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is one of the best storytellers around!

Bravo! Bravo!

This book did not disappoint.

It starts off with the life of Raedella Rollins and her childhood. Raedella has a desire to leave Sweet Poke, Arkansas and make it as a journalist. She is tired of living in a poor town and ever more tired of being poor. Raedella leaves her hometown and in the process leaves her family and first love behind.

Raedella arrives in Houston and becomes a smash hit with the local TV channel. As a result, she lies about her family and where she's really from. Raedella has a handsome fiancee names Myles. She thinks she has the perfect man but her best friend thinks differently.

Everything seems to be going good for Raedella and then her world comes tumbling down and she has to return to the place she hates most.

Once returning, Raedella learns the real meaning of family.

The book deals with forgiveness and how hatred will eat you up on the inside without you knowing it.

Oh my goodness, Ms Billingsley, you did your thing! This book is soooo good. It will definitely rank among my all time favorites. It was so funny to see my people in the pages of this book. I especially liked how you wove serious themes throughout the book but it never felt weighted down. It is an absolutely powerful and moving story about the power of family and faith. I wont rehash the details of the story but know that it is laugh out loud funny, while at the same time tugging at your heart. I wanted to hate Rae so much but you did a superb job of exposing her flaws and making her sympathetic. You have got to do a sequel!

I really enjoyed this book. This was the first book I have read by this author and I really got into her style of writing...I now have all of her published work....WOW!!!!

From the begining of the book to the end of the book it was a great read. The style of writing was super. Rae Rollins and Myles will keep you on your toes. You must purchase to get the inside scoop for yourself.

Starting from the opening chapter to the very last page I was transfixed. It has been quite a while since I've read such an entertaining and well written book.

I read this book in one day. The author is a very talented writer.

I often use that saying (that's your cousin, that's your daddy, etc.) when a family member makes you step back from laughter, embrassment or whatever. However, in this book Rae learns the real meaning of family while making us (the reader) look at how we treat our own family. Mrs. Billingsley is a great story teller and I recommend this book to any book club.

I really enjoyed this novel. I understand Rae wanting to better herself, but you can't neglect your past. Shondella is ghetto, but she's true to herself and her family, something Rae was not. Mama Tee...priceless. The part where Mama Tee and Rae attend a relative's wedding and the goings-on at the wedding was hilarious. Also towards the end of the novel, where Mama Tee sends Rae to the store so she(Mama Tee) and the deacon could "chop wood", was great. With Rose, truly sorry for what she's done in the past, her girls should have given her another chance. Rae is the perfect example of "falling from grace", because in the end, having family in your life is what counts.

This was my first book by this author and it was so good. This book had me cracking up one minute and getting mad the next. Man, this was my family she was writing about. I saw my uncle, my cousin and a host of other family members. But most importantly, I gained a newfound respect for my crazy relatives and learned that as much as I talk about them, they're still family and I love them to death. This is a story about forgiveness and appreciating whats important. The characters were so well written and I felt like I was right there in Sweet Poke Arkansas. Thank you Ms Billingsley for writing this story. I am going to get all your other books because you are a awesome writer!