I first saw Mandisa when she was a contestant on the fifth season of American Idol. After several televised insults about her weight said behind her back by Simon Cowell, Mandisa came back to forgive Simon saying "
I figure that if Jesus could die so that all of my wrongs could be forgiven, I can certainly extend that same grace to you." She then went on to sing her heart out and in a shocking elimination came in 9th place. After American Idol Mandisa went on to launch her career as a Gospel and contemporary Christian recording artist garnering several Grammy and Dove nominations and awards. She went on to write a book about her American Idol experience called "Idol Eyes: My New Perspective on Faith, Fat and Fame" (
reviewed by me here). But in spite of great success Mandisa still struggled and experienced pain and darkness in her journey and in spite of working hard to be healthy found herself again struggling with food addiction. Out of the Dark continues her story to finding the joy only God can give.
I really enjoyed this audiobook. It is not read by Mandisa, and though the narrator is very good, I wished it would have been in her own voice. Mandisa's story is one everyone can relate to on some level as all of us experience in some form or fashion pain throughout this life's journey and places in life where we fall. As she shared her stories of grief and loss, coping with depression and eating disorder, the shame of failure, and how faith in Jesus brought her hope and healing I was drawn right in. Her honesty made her story so relatable at it's core, I found myself crying several times. It would be an encouragement to anyone struggling with depression, ongoing struggles, grief or loss, a crisis in their faith, or anyone just needing some encouragement in their Christian journey.
I rated this audiobook a 9.5/10.
Reading Challenge 2022 goals met: minimum 3 non-fiction books, minimum 3 audiobooks
i just love mandissa's voice and lyrics to her songs!!
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