Value in the Valley: A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas [Hardcover]

Iyanla Vanzant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 9, 1995

So you've fallen and think you can't get up!

Is it the job you hate but need in order to pay the rent? Is it that relationship that you gave your all to only to end up with a broken heart... again? Perhaps it's your children, a family member or a lifelong friend doing you in, dragging you down, pushing you to the brink. If you are an honorary member of the Black Woman's Suffering Society, you have probably been told that it's all your fault. Or that struggling and suffering is your lot in life. Iyanla Vanzant says NO! Life is an Act of Faith and suffering is optional! Those everyday challenges, obstacles, and dilemmas are what Iyanla calls valleys. As bad as they may seem, there is a purpose or, as Iyanla says, "There is so much value in the valley."

Valley experiences open your eyes to the things you know but have difficulty facing and accepting. Valleys challenge your fears, strengthen your will, correct your misperceptions, and give you valuable insights into yourself, the world, and the people around you. Those dark, bleak, ugly experiences that make you most uncomfortable can help you to grow.

Valley experiences let you know it is time to do a new thing in a new way. You may grit your teeth and dig in your heels, but, as you will see, that new thing can be daring, exciting, and even fun. If you learn your valley lessons well, you are bound to shake other people up too. Good! You need to display your brilliance and move into your own grace. You've got the power, and your thoughts, deeds, and actions are your ticket. When you muster up the strength to change how you do what you've been doing, you find the way out of the valley.

As Iyanla says, "Valleys are not one-size-fits-all." In fact, they are custom-designed to teach you how to reach your highest potential-- to be divine, prosperous, and in alignment with your highest and greatest good.

If you've ever been disappointed, betrayed, rejected, abandoned, or just plain old scared to let go, then you've been or may still be in a valley. Iyanla knows-- she's been there, and on a bad day she's still there, but now she shares with you the way out.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A guide for black women seeking to come to grips with seemingly insurmountable difficulties.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

Vanzant, a Yoruba priestess and metaphysician who lives in Maryland, writes with genuine depth of the struggles of black women and of the hope and strength that can be gained from honestly facing these "valleys" with compassion, forgiveness, and self-confidence. Vanzant outlines ten valleys; operative "laws" that govern them, e.g., "darkness must come to light"; the lesson that can be learned, e.g., forgiveness or humility; and the virtue to be acquired, e.g., consciousness or balance. She then devotes a chapter to each valley. Preceding each chapter is a meditation with the Mother of Creation who empowers her daughters. Highly recommended not only for African American women but for all who feel oppressed by the circumstances of their lives.
--Carolyn M. Craft, Longwood Coll., Farmville, Va.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Printing edition (June 9, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684802872
• ISBN-13: 978-0684802879
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,199,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

With more than 8 million books in print, Iyanla Vanzant has truly established a dedicated fan base.
Iyanla's path to success took her through a multitude of life-changing experiences that shaped the profound insights she eagerly shares with others. A neglected, overweight, sexually abused child who was shuttled from one family to another, she became a teenage mother on welfare living in the projects of a major urban city. Vanzant took control of her life when she walked out of her second abusive marriage and entered Medgar Evers College in New York and then the City University of New York Law School. She moved to Philadelphia with her children and became a public defender for three years. Then she eventually became an ordained minister, who was committed to a message based on the principles of divine power and self-determination.

Iyanla combined her professional skills with her life's lessons and embarked on a writing and speaking career. Her mass appeal is evident in her overwhelming success as an author. In the Meantime was a #1 New York Times bestseller, where it spent 20 weeks on the list, and she has had numerous other major bestsellers. As a nationally recognized speaker she has sold out such prestigious venues as New York's Jacob Javits Convention Center, Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, Atlanta's Civic Center, and the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. Vanzant is also familiar to the daytime TV audience from her role as a regular contributor on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Acclaimed journalist and producer Barbara Walters recognized Vanzant's extraordinary appeal, seeing in her a "breakaway talent" with the potential for huge success in daytime television. With Walters and partner Bill Geddie on board to executive produce, Buena Vista Productions to develop the show, and Buena Vista Television as distributor, the road to Iyanla was forged.

Vanzant has received numerous accolades for her work. In 1992 Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley named October 21st "Tapping the Power Within Day" in honor of a workshop she presented in that city for African-American women. In 1994, the National Association of Equal Opportunity in Education, an organization comprised of the presidents and administrators of the 117 predominantly Black colleges in the United States named her Alumni of the Year. She also was awarded an "Oni" by the International Congress of Black Women as one of the nation's unsung heroes, and she served as the national spokesperson for Literacy Volunteers of America in 1998.

In 1999 she was listed among the 100 Most Influential African-Americans by Ebony magazine. Later that year, she was awarded the 31st NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Literary Work, Non-Fiction" for Yesterday I Cried. She also earned her first Honorary Doctorate degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, from the City University of New York, Medgar Evars College. In 2000, she earned her second honorary degree, Doctor of Divinity, from the Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, Ebony has named her one of their "55 Most Intriguing People," Vibe magazine tabbed her one of "100 Leaders of the New Millennium" and Newsweek recently included her as one of the "Women of the New Century."

The mother of three and grandmother of four, Vanzant lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband Adeyemi and Mr. Coco, their cat.

To learn how Iyanla can help you get started on your journey toward spiritual

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The value in the valley, November 24, 1999

By 

Ronke (london) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Value in the Valley: A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas (Hardcover)

This book knocked me for six. An extraordinary and powerful piece. Definately not for the faint hearted. I had to keep putting it down to cry my eyes out. It exposes you completely and empowers you in a way that you can never imagine. I found that i had to keep putting it down several times before i could finish. I described the "value in the valley" to one of my friends as a knock out in the ring. I am not just recommending this to every single female but also male readers. It's helped guide me through a difficult period. I was able to make a very confusing, difficult and the most important decision my life look so easy.Iyanla, when would you be coming to London?

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Good I Had To Read It Three Times, August 5, 2000

By 

Zane "NY Times Bestselling Author" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Value in the Valley: A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas (Paperback)

I was first turned onto this book when I raided my sister's bookshelf. She is just as avid a reader as me and I go over her house to get reading material whenever I have run through all of my own. Now I own a copy of this book myself. I just had to have it. No book has come closer to evaluating my real life. If the things in one chapter didn't happen to me, then they have certainly happened to someone I know. I think this book should be required reading for all women, no matter what their age or race. It helps put a method to the madness of our daily lives and the things we endure in relationships.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, for all young women in search of who they are., September 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Value in the Valley: A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas (Paperback)

I'm a 26 year old single parent, and just happend to pick this book up by chance. Once i started reading it i couldn't put it back down. This book is very uplifting, and teaches how to not let circumstances overcome you, but shows you how to overcome your current circumstances. No matter where you think you are in your life, this book forces you to take a second look, and with your eyes wide open so that you get a glimps of the truth.