As someone who is not particularly religious, it is interesting that I found myself reading reading a book penned by the daughter of one of the most famous bishops in America. Sarah Jakes, daughter of bishop T.D. Jakes, did not have an easy life. In her memoir, Lost & Found, she tells the tale of growing up in a family that found itself in the spotlight. She discussed her struggles with understanding religion and finding her place within the church. And during her rebellious, early teenage years, Sarah found herself pregnant at the age of thirteen. The touching novel is extremely relatable — Sarah is very open in her fears, dreams, struggles and mistakes. Sarah shows tremendous courage in writing such a candid memoir about her journey.
Her difficult journey was only just beginning at the age of thirteen and by the time she was fourteen, she had given birth to a baby boy. Pushing herself to succeed and provide a good life for her child, Sarah completed high school early and enrolled in college. It was in college that Sarah encounter more bumps along her road. Here, she had difficulty with some of her classes and began a tumultuous relationship with a fellow student. Her relationship with him brought nothing but heartache and pain, but through the ups and downs she still loved him. As many people can relate to the rocky paths relationships take, Sarah’s was no different…except she also had a child to think of. She found herself no longer in college, working at a seedy strip club as a waitress, and ended up marrying (and later divorcing) a man who did not value her as she should have been.
Throughout the book, readers root for Sarah to catch a break and achieve all that she’s set out to achieve. At long last, Sarah Jakes finds her place in the world, becomes comfortable and confident in her own skin, and blossoms into a successful and inspirational woman. Although I don’t personally identify with the more religious aspects of the book, I found it to be an enlightening and entertaining read. Whether you believe in the church or not, Sarah’s story teaches readers that no matter how far you stray from your path, it’s always possible to be found.
Twisted Talk: Have you read Lost & Found? What did you think of it? Discuss below!
