Yvonne Orji is a Nigerian-American Comedian and Actress. She is best known for playing the role of Molly on HBO’s Insecure, written and directed by Issa Rae. Yvonne is bold and unapologetic about her Christian faith. This is evident through her debut book Bamboozled by Jesus: How God tricked me into the life of my dreams.

Tone 

Throughout the book, Yvonne’s humorous and relatable tone is incredibly clear. I could definitely be found chuckling whilst reading through how she references God as being a prankster by tricking her into a career in comedy. Although she never set out for this career path, it ended up being the catapult to her current position in life. Yvonne has such a natural way of jokingly naming rappers like Notorious BIG as a ‘’prophet” due to his wisdom in his song lyric ”Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problem’s”

Faith

Unapologetically sharing her faith, in a way that doesn’t come off as pushy, Yvonne casually uses Biblical stories, to illustrate life lessons. The way she speaks about her relationship with God bleeds authentically through the pages of this book. To the reader, it comes across as she is speaking about a friend and therefore, it’s easy for anyone to relate to.

Culture

The product of two Nigerian immigrant parents, Yvonne also gives readers the lowdown of what it was like growing up in her Nigerian household. And her experience is something many with African children can especially relate to. She shares her parents’ response to her initially telling them that she wanted to become a comedian. ”So, you want to be a jester”, was the response she was initially greeted with. Many African children pursuing a career in the creative industry, I’m sure can relate to this! In her writing, Yvonne also uses colloquial expressions and phonetic spelling, that is commonly used in the Black community, leaving you with no other choice but to literally laugh out loud!

Truthful

In this book, the Emmy-nominated actress does not shy away from telling stories of her humble beginnings. Times when she struggled to pay rent, but still acted in faith in obedience to what she felt God was telling her at the time. Through her transparency in these moments, the reader is left genuinely connecting with her. It gives them hope. Yvonne repeatedly makes it known throughout the book, that if God can come through for her, he can certainly do it for you too! She speaks directly to the reader, as if you are her best friend. Speaking straight truths and facts, she pulls you in.

Book Cover – Bamboozled by Jesus: How God Tricked Me Into the Life of My Dreams by Yvonne Orji. Photo credit: Worthy Publishing

Character

Using examples of her life experience, coupled with Bible scriptures, Yvonne shares that the process of how she struggled to get to where she is now was all preparation. It prepared her for building her character for when she entered Hollywood. Sharing that it can be easy to get overwhelmed with pride when in such a field, she realised that she had to get right before she entered the industry. As your personal hype-woman, Orji uses the acronym ICE – (Integrity, Character and Excellence). She encourages readers to stick to their values, and be a person of integrity. Orji says that this will help you last when you eventually land the life of your dreams. So that when you arrive in your dreamland, you are ready and you’re representing well.

Results

Towards the end of her book, Yvonne delves deeper into the fruits of what happened when she was Bamboozled by Jesus; after she landed the role of Molly in the HBO hit show, Insecure. Throughout the book, she takes readers on a journey through the highs and lows. But whilst also sharing the success that has been birthed from this.

She ends the book with a frank pep talk to readers, encouraging us to put our faith to action and give God a chance in the process of bringing our dreams to life. It may not always be easy in the process, but the rewards after the process and pressure is worth it. This prep talk Yvonne gives at the end of her book is refreshing as it reminds me of the Bible scripture Hebrew 12:11; ”No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” (NLT)

Verdict

Overall, Yvonne’s humour and relatability, coupled with her love for God, makes for a brilliant read for anyone with aspirations. You are left feeling that you should take a chance on God into leading your life. Overall, I would give this book a strong 9/10. I hope my review gives you more insight into this gem of a book!

Bamboozled by Jesus: How God Tricked Me Into the Life of My Dreams by Yvonne Orji is available to purchase on Amazon and all good bookstores.

Written By: Maxine Harrison our Business Editor. She is also a freelance writer and founder of the Remi Reports blog – a blog helping freelance creatives build their business and lifestyle.

Header Image: Actress and Author Yvonne Orji. Photo credit: Worthy Publishing