Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons: Finding the Lord's Lessons in Everyday Life

by Zandra Vranes, Tamu Smith

Are Mormons funny? Oh, heavens, yes! Especially when looking through the lens of Sistas in Zion two very funny ladies

with testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their unique

perspective and diary entries will have you laughing one minute

and saying "Amen!" the next as they talk about personal experiences

as well as lessons they've learned from pop culture about

relationships, sisterhood, standing up for what you believe,

embracing diversity, dealing with adversity, and what it means

to be a Christian. This humorous and poignant outlook on life

will strengthen your faith and tickle your funny bone. And you'll

soon realize that the authors aren't really mad, they're just crazy

funny and inspiring to listen to!

Genres: Nonfiction, Lds, Church, Religion, Memoir, Humor, Womens

240 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 2014

Reviews

[Erika B. (SOS BOOKS) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"God's recipe for healthy relationships is 1 part love and 70 times 7 parts forgiveness, so don't try to blame it on Him if your relationships are extra salty and gotta whole lotta beef."

To say that I loved this book would be an understatement! I LOVED this book! See what I did there? My love is more pure when it is in all caps. There was so much that I took away from this book! The first is that these ladies are HILARIOUS! And they are spiritual rock stars! Also I really, really would love to be their friend. Can I be a Sista, please?! So I will write a couple of my favorite parts below but if you have an hour or two don't you dare deprive yourself of this book! I'm pretty excited to share it with everyone...oddly enough the first person I instantly want to send it to is my own sister! Leishy Lou this one is one you will be reading...no options given...it's a must! ;D

"Look, y'all, God is up on game. He stays with the times, and He will teach us where He can reach us and always in a language we can understand. God can keep up with you while you are keeping up with the Kardashians, He can show His face on Facebook, and He can put His praise on Pinterest, but we won't find the lessons unless we seek good and not evil." -pg. 30

"We all have the right to hate, but as Christians, when we take upon ourselves the name of Christ, we give up that right." -MoDea

(Talking about dysfunctional families)

"Remember Joseph of Egypt? His daddy had a favorite son-he gave Joseph that fly technicolor dream coat and didn't get one for any of his other kids. Anyway, his brothers were so sick of the favorite son that they sold him into slavery. Now that is messed up. They took sibling rivalry to a whole 'nother level! But don't worry. Joseph overcame that situation and went on to do things so great that Donny Osmond portrayed him in a play. Now you know God has delivered you when your life story ends up in the Bible and on Broadway. And because one dysfunctional family is never enough, we can't forget about Abraham's family feud that began when his wife got jealous of her stepson. Talk about baby mama drama. Then there's Lot with his salty wife. Doctors are always trying to tell people that too much salt can kill you, but (like some folks I know), Lot had a spouse that didn't like to listen. And don't even get me started on marriage problems. King David was up on the housetop long before Santa Claus, except instead of delivering presents, he was up there creepin', peepin', and cheatin'. And as if that wasn't wrong enough, when he got Bathsheba pregnant, David was all about the cover-up. Not to worry if you're a single Saint. God's got you, too. Remember Martha and Mary? Those two sisters got stuck in the friend zone big time. We feel their pain-plenty of "boy" friends but no "boyfriend." So maybe instead of asking God to fix my family, I needed to have a little more faith in family. No, a family story that begins with a miraculous conception is not the most ordinary. But just as God placed the Savior in the ideal family for Him, my family is where God put me, and it's where He put me for a reason."-pg. 150

Thank you for such a fun book my dear Sistas'!!
Hallelujah Holla Back,
Erika

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part memoir and part self-help, the book contains accounts of life lessons learned by two friends, Zandra and Tamu, many of them from childhood. It’s written with honesty and optimism and kindness; an uplifting book overall. A perfect pick-me-up book.

Language: Clean
Sexual Content: None
Violence/Gore: Mentions of assault (not detailed)
Harm to Animals: None
Harm to Children: None
Other (Triggers): family dysfunction

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is equal parts inspiring and laugh out loud funny.
Oh, and I want to mention that when they call themselves two mad black Mormons...they mean crazy mad not angry mad. And they really aren't either type of mad, but do seem like they would make great next door neighbors.

Quotes I loved:

"We should all embark on service with hearts full of peace. God never asks us for anything without providing a way." (Pg 111)

"Life is not a sit-down job. Well, unless you're Rosa Parks, but in her case sitting down was actually standing up." (Page 33)

I love their chapter on finding Jesus in jail. I keep pondering it. They write, "We used to wonder why Jesus was always locked up, but not anymore, 'cause we found Jesus in jail too. Go on ahead and judge us if you want, but it's true. Our bars were invisible, yet they still seemed invincible. For some of us, sometimes life gets rough enough that it feels like we're doing hard time. Each of us with a personal prison of our own, serving separate sentences, but still the same Savior. What we learned is that you can put yourself in lockup, but God never throws away the key. Ask. Seek. Knock. He'll unlock the lessons." (Page 3-4)

"Just as with spare change, we often find making change in our lives to be a heavy and cumbersome burden; we do not give it so freely. When our lives are begging for change, we may respond with the same options we give the person on the he street corner. Some of us dig deep and immediately search for changes within ourselves. Others ignore the need for changes, and yes, some of us respond with, 'I'm sorry. I can't spare the time for change right now.' In short, no. Unlike with money, our spiritual finances always have the budget to allow us to make some change. So why, when we can afford it, do we deny ourselves, the beggar, the change." (Page 121)

[Jinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ate this book up! I ate this book up! Everything on the blurb above was true. The recipe of diary entries and "Halleluja Holla Back" in formatting this read was genius. I loved that this book was raw, personal, and laugh out loud funny!! I’m Mormon and I didn’t think Mormons can be that funny …I mean in terms of approaching the gospel. I’m the straight shooter type, you know, the serious, give-me-the-rules-to-follow kind. But now that I’ve been exposed to the Sistas of Zion’s way of approaching the gospel, well, color me perky! Life suddenly got better. I kid you not. I was edified and stirred to look for, find, and appreciate the Lord's lesson in my everyday life.

I so enjoyed this book so much that my copy is now sitting next to my favorite book, Standing for Something by Gordon B. Hinckley (a prophet!). Both books were incredibly inspiring and left me with lasting impressions. Again, it was amazing to me how both shared the same message of strength found through living the gospel but did so by polar opposite writing styles. Hinckley told it in gentle, authoritative matter while Vranes and Smith told theirs with wit. This is an affirmation to me that the gospel is for all, from the serious to the "mad" (the good crazy, of course).

I cannot recommend this book enough. Really, GO! Go get this book now! Mormon or not, this read will truly excite you to live well. A book worthy to chill along side books written by modern prophets.

Hallelujah Holla Back,

Jinky ;)

Jinky is Reading

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've heard the Sistas radio show before so when I saw they had a book out, I knew I wanted to read it. I wanted to see how their humor would translate into the written word. Let me tell you, they are just as funny in their book as they are when you listen to them!

They start by sharing their pseudonyms of Sista Beehive (Tamu) and Sista Laurel (Zandra) and I laughed at their explanation for neither of them going by Sista Mia Maid. ("Nobody was interested in being Sista Mia Maid 'cause with maid in their name, they might get mistaken for the help.") They realize that God has taught them a lot of lessons over the years and that he's been with them through their darkest hours. The chapters are broken down into small sections, and the diary entries are written by them individually and together.

I got a kick out of all of their stories and their refreshing take on the gospel. The one that had me rolling on the floor, though, was in Chapter 6, "Friends and Family Discount." Zandra (Sista Laurel) was telling the story of her family moving from Atlanta to Utah. She was not happy about it. Her father decided that she should attend EFY (Especially For Youth), a week-long church summer camp. She had no idea what it was. On the way to Provo, they stopped at the bank and her dad had her withdraw money from her account to pay for it. It's not cheap, so she wasn't happy. He did tell her he'd pay for half, which she is apparently still waiting for, haha. ("If anybody wants to know what to get me for my birthday, half the cost of EFY, which I am still waiting for, is cool.") She had a bad attitude when she got there and wasn't looking forward to it at all.

Then, her description of her roommate, Tiffani-with-an-i, had me laughing so hard, my son wanted in on the good joke (but he hasn't lived long enough for it to be funny to him yet). Tiffani-with-an-i's side of the room looked like a Sweet Valley High book had exploded all over it. Then, she talked nonstop about everything and nothing. The next day, they took off running to get to class and when Zandra saw all the excitement, she started to get excited that someone famous was going to speak to them. It turned out to be John Bytheway. She decided to give him a chance and found him to be funny and felt that his message was an answer to her prayers. By the end of the week she was feeling a little better about her moving challenge. When she got home, though, she was faced with a situation that took her right out of her EFY high and she does a great job explaining what she learned through that fiasco. My summary of this story in no way does it justice--you need to read this book to experience it for yourself.

There is guaranteed laughter to be found in each chapter. The Sistas put themselves out there and their goal is to encourage others to search for and recognize the lessons and blessings in life. I love their attitudes and would love to hang out with them! They do also show a more serious side, which still manages to come across as fun. Even their "Shout Outs" (aka Acknowledgements) made me laugh. I love the advice they give at the very end and I hope there are more diary reveals from them in the future!

I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.

Mel's Shelves

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

FUNNY!
REAL!
"FINDING THE LORD'S LESSONS IN EVERYDAY LIFE!"

And I LOVE the lessons they find!
WOW!

Here's one:
It's hard to stay mad once you realize that you're too blessed to be stressed."

Personal diary entries and fun blurbs of wisdom bring together their views and teach us with humor and love.

Like this lesson:

"For some of us, sometimes life gets rough enough that it feels like we're doing hard time. Each of us with a personal prison of our own, serving separate sentences, but still the same Savior. What we've learned is that you can put yourself in lockup, but God never throws away the key. Ask. Seek. Knock. He'll unlock the lessons.

Check out some of the chapter titles:

Mic Check- Is This Thing On?
Background Check
Check Yo'self Before you Wreck Yo'self
Slippery Slope
Set Your Standards High So You Can Fly
God's Got Your Back
Got A Little, Get A Lot
The First Fish Fry
Service Makes Me Nervous
Dysfunctional Families Are Forever
Hot Mess-Ipe
Bringin' The Pepper To Salt Lake
Don't Save The Drama For Mama
and a whole lot MORE!

LOVED. LOVED. LOVE. IT!
DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS ONE!
You will soak up every word and rejoice in the Lord with a big "Hallelujah!"

[lacawi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.

It's not really about being a Black Mormon so much as it's about being Black and being a Christian who identifies with the Mormon Church, and even then, Mormonism isn't necessarily prominent in the book. Instead, Christ - and the relationship we can have with Him by identifying with these Sisters' stories - is - and should be - front and center. (Deseret book wouldn't be quick to publish a book about anybody being mad at Mormons. Especially not any people who might have reason to be mad.... like Black people. I love the play on the title with the popular Tyler Perry movie, though. Smart!)

The book is a great crossover that speaks both to Christian audiences as much as traditional and authentic black church-going audiences. This book is a comfortable read and hard to put down. The mixture of absolute hilarity (consistently brought by Sista Zandra) and the sobering life experiences meant to give pause and make you get right with yourself, your judgments, and your God from Sista Tamu is a perfect blend and testament of these ladies' closeness in their Walk with the Savior. I recommend it to anyone looking for a reminder that God's love and guidance is as diverse as his children! Can't wait for the sequel, the series, and the collection!

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classy, unique, and hilarious.

[Segullah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in 2011, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sista Beehive and Sista Laurel (aka Zandra Vranes and Tamu Smith) for the Mormon Women Project. They were fantastic to talk to– funny and very real and willing to open up about why, as black Mormons and converts to the LDS Church, they felt they had a unique perspective to offer readers to their blog. In the years since that conversation, they have found even more success, launching their own radio show, speaking at various engagements, and now publishing their first book together, Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons.

In the book, the Sistas start out speaking generally on various topics (“Breaking and Entering” is about finding God, “Stand” is about having standards and standing things that are important to you). They expound on these topics in their trademark style– talking forthrightly, with lots of emotion, in language peppered with Ebonics. Their book is at its strongest when it delves into their personal stories, which is something that they do to highlight most of the points they want to make. They talk about the time Sista Beehive got caught shoplifting, when Sista Laurel pretended that her mom was dead and her hilarious experience at EFY as a teenager. They’re willing to talk about hard things and to help us see that even if we have hard circumstances in our lives, that shouldn’t separate us from the love Christ has for us or from his plans for our lives. The book is a quick, useful read. I think it’s important because of its perspective and because of its wonderful storytelling.

[Beth Given · Rating 4 out of 5]

During this time when we seem more racially divided than ever, I wanted to read something that would both open my eyes and also give me hope that things will get better. I picked up this book after reading Zandra Vranes's fantastic op-ed piece in the Deseret News, "Speaking to the Pain of a Black Mormon Woman." The content in this book was certainly lighter than that article, but I still learned from it. I feel like the short review from Virginia Pearce on the back of this book sums it up for me, too:

"Zandra and Tamu throw open the windows and let fresh air blow into our church culture. The beautiful truths of the gospel stand fast in the breeze. In fact, truth seems even more evident when separated from expected descriptions. The sistas will make you smile, chuckle, and laugh out loud. They'll make you glad they re your sisters in the gospel and, most of all, glad for the gospel of Jesus Christ."

I am glad we can learn from people of varying diverse backgrounds and experiences.

[Exponent II · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Zandra Vranes and Tamu Smith co-authored it and they talk about life experiences they had from their childhood through adulthood and what they learned from those experiences. I enjoyed the humor and wit found throughout the book.

I love that they keep things real in the book. I think anyone can relate to the authors’ experiences, because every family and individual has problems in their life. I love the wordplay and rhymes because they’re catchy and easy to remember, such as “too blessed to be stressed.” The authors take phrases you hear often and add a twist to them. They help you see things in a different and truer perspective. Here’s an example:

to read the rest of this review, please visit the Exponent blog here: http://www.the-exponent.com/book-revi...

[Lesley Squire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, spiritual, inspirational, and very, very real—that is this book and these two amazing women! As a fellow member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I get the subtleties and insights into parts of our religious culture and practices. But truly, anyone who professes to be a Christian will enjoy and connect with the authors’ perspectives on God’s love and the grace and salvation of Jesus Christ, as well as their emphasis on devoted families, strong friendships, and our inter-connectedness as God’s children.

[Heather Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. An easy read with two fresh voices, whose real talk had me laughing and thinking throughout. I appreciated so much how they each got personal with the hardships that shaped their lives and what the Lord taught them along the way. The struggle is present without ever becoming heavy. The lessons are profound without ever becoming preachy. If I had to sum up the tone of this book in one word, it would be praise. They praise the Lord from beginning to end in a way that feels totally conversational. By the time I was finished, I wanted more.

[Danelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these two ladies' stories. I love collecting stories and understanding the inner workings of people, why they do what they do. This book was light and funny and a quick read. I read it during an excellent bath after the kids were down and flew right through it. It made me laugh and cry at times. It was testimony-building and increased my faith. Putting the gospel into action can be tricky, but these ladies do it well!!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently discovered Sistas in Zion and started following on Facebook for some occasional doses of real-life gospel application and insight. Thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking. So when I saw this book get checked in at the library I checked it right out for myself. Great storytellers, funny but heartfelt, and great at applying gospel principles and perspective to everyday happenings. I really enjoyed it!

[Kyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I didn't think I liked this book but in church today I kept coming up with insights from the book that applied to what we were learning so I gave it at extra star because I obviously learned some things from it. I enjoyed the stories they told but I wasn't a fan of the commentary; it felt like they were trying too hard to be funny and spiritual at the same time.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw the authors at TOFW this year and was excited to read their book. The book felt a little disjointed at first, skipping around between little commentaries/devotionals and life stories, but I did get used to it as I kept reading. I enjoyed the peek into their lives and how they found goodness and God in so many life lessons.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard about this book years ago and thought it sounded interesting, but decided to read it this year as part of my Black History Month booklist. I was a little disappointed in that it didn't provide as much insight as I had hoped in regards to the black experience of my religion and church, but the authors always provide humor and a fresh perspective and I still enjoyed it.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, easy, insightful read. The “diary entries” are raw and full of character and personality and the insights that follow are thought provoking. The fresh perspective (and “speaking” style) is enjoyable.

[Amanda Minton · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something wonderful to be learned from other people’s experiences. I loved every story from these women’s pasts and felt honored to read them! This book will make you laugh along with me and fill you with the Spirit as gospel and life lessons are learned.

[Nicole Keaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great gems of wisdom in there. Quick, entertaining read. I felt like I was reading a blog instead of a book which got a little tiresome sometimes. The tone of a blog article is better taken in small doses. I also am a little baffled at their constant joking about their parent’s violent discipline.

[R.S. Meier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I loved hearing from their personal life stories. They were so relatable but at the same time, they come from a background different than what I grew up in, so it was informative to see how their experiences and perspectives have shaped their worship.

[Kim Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an absolutely delightful read. While I don't know what their voices actually sound like, I could hear them coming through in their stories. I wasn't always clear on how their anecdotes related to what they were trying to say in the chapters, but it was still a really fun read!

[Marla Milligan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot - 2 women's conversions to the Mormon faith - lots of humor and good stories that touch the heart and make you think. Made me want to be better :)

[Maegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Too blessed to be stressed" is my new mantra. Thanks, Sistas!

[Tanisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed out loud several times. It made me feel great. They talk so openly about their shortcomings and mistakes. It's heartwarming to know that you can be happy without being perfect.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

a little hard to follow at one or two short parts but overall, funny and thoughtful.

[Erika Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! The sistas spoke my language and that was extremely refreshing. It was the perfect mix of LDS-ness and black girl magic!😂💕

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laugh out loud funny! Love love love this book!