RIM's Review of The Upside of the Down Low, a Pastor’s Wife’s Memoir by Yolanda Stephen

RIM's Review of

The Upside of the Down Low, a Pastor’s Wife’s Memoir

by  Yolanda Stephen

This offering is billed as an inspirational testatment to the power of faith in the face of overwhelming adversity. The main characters, Edgar Jacksyn (PJ) and his wife, Yolanda's story told through her eyes during their 3-plus year union and his subsequent demise.
 
The story was intriguing enough to hold the attention of the reader, though it felt very rushed. There, in my opinion, should have been much more detail given so that the reader could fully understand not just Yolanda and her past, but also Edgars. As the story plays out, this missing information becomes very pertinent. The meeting, dating, and marriage all happened so quickly that one had to go back and reread certain sections to make sure one had not missed anything.

The tone of the book began to change almost midway into more of a subtle bashing of Edgar as a minister versus man, with Yolanda more and more in the role of hapless victim. This position I couldn't condone simply due to Yolanda's own arrogance and vanity that was demonstrated at the beginning of the book. There were of course portions where one did feel sympathy for her, but again, questioned her own contribution to the shambles that had become their existence together.

Of course at the end of the unfolding events one is glad to know that Yolanda has so profoundly embraced her faith and all the lessons taught, but it also begs the question, being a pastor's child, where was the faith, the discernment, before she ever walked into the situation. This is not judgement nor condemnation, simply a query. It is this reviewers opinion that this book could become a very inspirational and powerful testament to God's ability to heal, deliver, and set free, those things that do plague us, but without the biases that are presented inside it right now, and with more emphasis on the faithbuilding and healing process.

Reviewers rating: 3.5 KR Bankston
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