Official Review: The Heart of A Woman by Tamika Nelson

[Renu G]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Heart of A Woman" by Tamika Nelson.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The title of the book captured my attention, and I expected The Heart of a Woman to be full of positivity. When I looked at the cover page more carefully, I saw a young woman sadly holding a heart with words representing negative experiences and emotions written on it. I thought Tamika Nelson should have added a few positive words, but after reading it, I realized that she had written it mainly to help sorrowful women to experience healing and have a better future. This is possible by identifying the root cause of problems and behaviors, forgiving themselves, and finding meaning in life. If their wounds are not healed, they tend to be hurtful toward others, and it becomes a vicious circle.

The author wants us to celebrate womanhood. She tries to instruct women by showing us a mirror to know who we truly are and how we can flourish. Each one of us is God’s masterpiece. I think this book is more about the interrelationships between women, although it could also help men to relate better with women. According to her, a married man and woman must learn from each other.

Few women may agree with the author, especially when she says that it is necessary to put oneself first. This is because she is challenging traditional beliefs that women should be self-sacrificing, which is seen as an ideal by society in general. However, in other places, she talks about giving oneself away and suggests that a woman should not compete or try to control her spouse. In one chapter, the author states that if a woman’s heart is broken, it will never become whole again. In another chapter, she seems to convey that healing is possible.

I think there must be nuances to these statements, and they may not be contradictory. Perhaps she means that one should be balanced and discontinue sacrificing oneself for those who see this as a weakness and take advantage of us. In a few chapters, her statements are connected and coherent too. To conclude, there is no consistency in what Tamika has written. However, I was able to put things in perspective when I read about her daughter’s accident soon after she started writing this book and how she couldn’t think clearly. As time passed, there was a paradigmatic shift in her thinking, and this is reflected in the contents of this book.

The Heart of a Woman has 135 pages full of motivational statements that seem to have been collected by Tamika from various sources. I doubt whether they come from her personal experiences (except those related to married life and raising children). They are disjointed, and it is difficult to connect them with the title of the chapter. The book is divided into seven parts. The positions of the parts titled “Love Conquers” and “What is Real Love” could be interchanged. I like the theme of bitterness discussed in the chapter “Misery Loves Company,” but this title doesn’t seem suitable, and I think she should have delved deeper into the problem. I appreciate how she describes women who hide their feelings despite going through abuse and suffering and their need to confide in at least one person. What I like most is her advice to women, to be honest to themselves and love themselves despite their mistakes.

I didn’t like her instructive tone throughout the book. It sounds condescending and thus disrespectful towards the reader. I found several grammatical errors that are distracting. Overall, the presentation is not what I expected. After thoughtful and critical analysis of the contents, I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. I did not give a higher rating because of the inconsistencies described above, which make it difficult to understand the author unless one reads the book twice. I did not give a lower rating because, despite these issues, readers will benefit a lot from her advice. I am happy to recommend it to counselors, social workers, teachers, and all women who want to overcome their problems and live a better life.

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The Heart of A Woman
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[Rachel Lea]

It's too bad that there are so many inconsistencies in the author's message, as I think the overall idea of this book is great. Thank you for your review!

[KDJ]

Thank you for your review of The Heart of a Woman. Although there were inconsistancies and grammatical errors, I can see how this could inspire woman going through their own issues. I hope we will see another better edited version to read. From your review, it seems like a good book, minus the issues. Thank you again for your recommendation.

[Gathoni1991]

Seems to be a powerful book. A definite must-read.

[Valar]

The title of the book attracts me too. As a women, I think the inconsistencies are similar to our thoughts, it’s never consistent.

[Radiant3]

The title is very interesting because women do seem to hold a lot emotionally in their hearts. The intention of the book sounds great and seem to offer good information even though there are inconsistencies. Thank you for the great review.

[Meg98]

This sounds like a very interesting read and I like the premise. Even though the writing might not have been what you expected, I am still intrigued and will check this one out. Thanks for this great review!

[Nizar Ali Shah]

The Heart of A Woman by Tamika Nelson.Tamika had written it to express her solidarity and to express her sympathies with women who had suffered a lot and this book consoles them to be self satisfied and have a better future for themselves.She stresses the need of understanding the root causes of certain problems which specially women face from time to time.She further says if their sufferings and wounds are not healed then it would aggravate their situation further.Their problems must be solved and this should not continue as a vicious circle.
The book is more about the interealtionships of women. she is also right when she says that both men and women should learn from their experience.
Despite all these, there are many inconsistencies in the book regarding the role where at one she is placed first and at the next stage it shows her status at second position.She also advises the women to be loyal to themselves despite their mistakes
The Heart of a Woman is full of motivational statement and is both useful for men and women as far as their roles and responsibilities are concerned.

[Ekta Kumari]

I think all of us women will be able to relate with this book, and the nuggets of advice also sound valuable. The instructive tone may not be suitable for everyone, but still I think it succeeds in delivering a powerful message. I resonate with the author's thoughts on putting oneself first without being controlling of others, even if that's one's spouse. I'm sorry for her daughter's accident, and kudos to her for completing the book in spite of the distress. I hope this book will serve the audience it is written for. Thank you for your critical analysis of the book. Great review!

[Makashini]

The title of the book says it all. Most of us women relate to this book, I resonate with the authors thoughts on putting oneself first without controlling of others.
Kudos she's truly the heart of a woman.

[kdstrack]

The cover is a bit depressing, but it does reflect the book's contents. I wonder if she advises readers to seek counseling to heal the wounds or if she gives her own advice for overcoming the past. I enjoyed your thoughtful review of this book. Thanks!

[Bhaskins]

The title caught my eye, but it sounds like overall I might have to pass.

[Laila Hashem]

The title really caught my eye, but the inconsistencies would make me pass on it as a whole. Thanks for the great review!

[Bri120]

I have to say that the title of the book has captured my attention also. I feel this maybe something that I can learn from so I will add it to my shelf for reading. I have taken your critiques into consideration as well and hope that I dont find it condescending because I hope to finish the entire book.