21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WHERE WAS "THE REAL DEAL" WHEN MY OLDEST WAS IN HER TEENS ??, March 22, 2004
This review is from: The Real Deal: A Spiritual Guide for Black Teen Girls (Paperback)
I BOUGHT ONE COPY OF "THE REAL DEAL" WITH THE INTENT OF READING IT AND SHARING IT WITH MY THREE DAUGHTERS. BUT BEFORE I COULD FINISH CHAPTER 1, I REALIZED THAT I MUST RUSH IT INTO THE HANDS OF MY OLDEST DAUGHTER, PROMPTO !!!
SO THIS REVIEW HAS TO REMAIN A 'REVIEW-IN-PROGRESS', BUT ONLY FOR A SHORT SPAN OF TIME. I AM PURCHASING 12 COPIES SO I CAN MARK UP ONE, GIVE 2 TO MY YOUNGER DAUGHTERS, AND GIVE THE REST TO OTHERS WHO ARE TRAVELLING THE BUMPY ROADS OF TEEN RAISING.
FROM THE INTRODUCTION THROUGH CHAPTER 1, I FELT AS IF MRS. COOK WAS SITTING IN MY LIVING ROOM CHATTING WITH ME AND MY DAUGHTERS. THIS WOULD BE A GREAT BOOK FOR A YOUTH RETREAT OR WEEK-TO-WEEK SEMINAR. A SECOND PRINTING CAN'T BE BUT FAR OFF.
I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO FINISH "THE REAL DEAL" !!!
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Let Your Spirit Soar, October 10, 2004
This review is from: The Real Deal: A Spiritual Guide for Black Teen Girls (Paperback)
THE REAL DEAL: A SPIRITUAL GUIDE FOR BLACK TEEN GIRLS by Billie Montgomery Cook is a book that advises teen girls how to overcome any and every obstacle that comes their way. In a society where how you look determines who you are, it is essential for impressionable black teen girls to know that their appearance should not validate who they are. Important topics covered consist of: body image, self-respect, sex and friendship which allows girls to see how a young Christian woman should handle these situations. Girls learn how to indulge in self-love, self-respect and self-worth. Each chapter is told in a way that's easy for teens to understand and at the end of each chapter is a prayer, a section which asks questions that require the reader to do a little soul-searching and a section for the reader to write their own prayer.
An essential part to every household with a teen girl, THE REAL DEAL enables teens to dig deep inside their spiritual selves to find answers to life's most common problems. What I enjoyed most about this book is that although it was written with teen girls in mind, it can also be used by adult women who suffer esteem issues or who aren't sure how to overcome various hurdles that come their way. Reading this book enabled me to do a little soul-searching and because of it I am stronger in my faith.
Reviewed by Eraina B. Tinnin
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Keeping it Real, November 26, 2006
This review is from: The Real Deal: A Spiritual Guide for Black Teen Girls (Paperback)
Keeping it Real
Billie Montgomery Cook, a drama ministry coordinator at Third Baptist Church in Portsmouth Virginia, writes a concise book, The Real Deal A Spiritual Guide for Black Teen Girls, that can help teen girls get through this transitional period.
Starting with the premise that the body is a temple, Cook divides the book into three parts: Part One is good temple design. Part Two is temple construction. Construction Challenges is Part Three. A final part is finishing touches for your temple. In each section, she writes short chapters on the subjects that aid in the designing and building of the temple. For example, in the temple design section, self-esteem, truth, gratitude, faith, hope and love set the foundation. In the temple construction part, friendship, knowledge, spiritual discipline, prayer and work builds the temple. Part three, the construction challenges include such subjects as ingratitude, revenge, negativity, insecurity, sex, fear and lack of confidence.
Cook begins each chapter as though she is writing a letter to a daughter. Each letter is written in an informal and conversational style and language that teens can easily read and understand. Each letter presents the world's views and lifestyles. Cook counters this lifestyle by showing how God wants His people to live. Cook provides just enough information on both sides for the teen to think before she acts. At the end of each letter is a prayer, questions and a space for the teen to write or say her own prayer.
I find this book very interesting because some of those issues she wrote to teen girls could very well apply to the 21+ age group, too. Her straight-forward writing keeps your attention, and, her biblical references will get you reading the Bible. She says her chapters only touch the surface. She is correct. She could say much more. However, touching the surface works for teen girls who need short, simple and real information. For those teens who want to read more, she suggests some additional resources. A bibliography at the end of the book would have been helpful. Bible stories that address the issues presented would be useful, too. Without the bibliography and the biblical stories, the book is still a good read and it is certainly a good guide for teens girls. I would certainly recommend this book as a resource for a teen girl bible study group. With the mass of print and electronic media portraying girls as anything but Godly and virtuous, Cook's book establishes a different and higher standard of living.
Karen Lemmons
APOOO BookClub
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