As her words pour over me, I forget that she passed away last year, in January of 2021 at the rich age of 96. Such is the power of not only a book, but the powerful legacy of work she left behind.

I purchased her book as soon as it came out yet, like many of my other still-pristine tomes, it sat on my “TBR” pile for much longer than it should have. I kept saying I was going to get to it but for some strange reason, I never did. As I experience the deep spiritualism that lives within those pages of her memoir, I realize now it’s because I wasn’t ready. The inspirational message she weaves throughout the 400 pages of the book, Just As I Am, was not something that Tamara of 2021 would have been able to receive.

I’m on page 341 of 399 (technically, it’s 416 pages long, but I don’t count the acknowledgments and index), and I fully intend to finish it today. I’ve been devouring this book for the last three days, and I haven’t had this feeling about a book in quite some time. Co-written by Michelle Burford, it has given me faith that competent and highly skilled writers still exist out there to this day. My faith is slowly being restored in the publishing world after feeling constant disappointment during what I call the “shitty books by overnight authors” age that Amazon helped to usher in.

While Cicely Tyson wasn’t one of my favorite actresses (by all means, I didn’t hate her work… she was truly a talented gift to the world), I am inspired by her work ethic… as well as by the fact that she didn’t start her acting journey from a young age – she was in her 30’s and a single mother, for crying out loud! That’s definitely encouraging for someone like me, a Xennial in a world that tries to make us believe that if we haven’t made it during our twenties, then it’s “too late” and we’ve “missed our mark” or “passed our prime”. Her words remind me that it just takes dedication to something you’re passionate about, and the path will reveal itself to you.

I also love how she is all about Black Women empowerment. She isn’t afraid to speak on the struggles we Black women face in America, no matter what class or career you may have. As a Hollywood actress, she struggles with the same unfair treatment – including pay disparities – that I do, even though I’m in a completely different career field. From the dysfunction she witnessed between her mom and dad, to the pushback she got when she chose to wear her hair “natural”, I can totally relate to all of it. But I can also take away her refusal to give up in the face of adversity, her willingness to always keep her chin held high with dignity. I really appreciate that.

I used to shy away from celebrity memoirs, mainly because I am so adverse to “celebrity worship”, which I liken to “idol worship” in this day and age. Celebrities have always been just regular ass people to me, albeit just with more fame (or infamy, depending on who it is), and because of that bias, I think I’ve missed out on some gems that I plan to pick up later on this month. (I already know I want to get “Will” by Will Smith, but I also want to pick up Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson’s memoirs.)

This is not a book review. This is a book discussion, where we talk about how a book – and the themes it contains – has impacted us in our real lives. What did you think of this memoir?