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The divas of Damascus Road are Yolanda, Dianne, and Regina—three successful African American women who were raised without a man in their lives. Along with the woman who raised them, Gloria, they can handle any crisis without a male calling the shots, and they don’t have to deal with the toilet seat problem, the remote control problem, or the issue with gas. The only father they turn to when they need advice is the Holy Father. But then Gloria weds Richard, and each woman reflects upon her life and wonders if perhaps things could be different without losing a part of herself in the process. It’ll take some very strong men to love these women.
Yolanda walks the closest with God, yet she has her own spiritual faults, mainly her perfectionism and her tendency to judge people from their appearance. I knew she had a real problem when she became upset with her date for arriving thirty-one seconds late. She doesn’t really want a man in her life because she’s afraid of losing her identity and independence. Besides, her mother did all right for all those years without a man, so why couldn’t she? Yet, she realizes that it’s nice to have a man around sometimes to keep the loneliness at bay.
Dianne’s mother left her alone for two days with her sister Shannon when they were just children. Shannon died, and Dianne has never been able to overcome the guilt, or the fact her mother, Joyce Ann, abandoned her when she needed her most. But now her mother is back in her life, and everyone is urging her to forgive, including God. But Dianne just can’t bring herself to do it—she’d need a lot of spiritual and psychological help, and she’s not sure she’s strong enough to handle it.
Regina has a new baby and a loving husband, but something isn’t right in her life. She doesn’t have a perfect body. The image she sees in the mirror isn’t the beautiful, healthy woman everyone else sees. She only sees fat. As she spirals deeper into depression, her obsession with losing weight might very well destroy her marriage and her health.
Throughout Divas of Damascus Road, you get the feeling that something remains hidden in the past—a secret that only Gloria and Joyce Ann share—a secret that will surprise you in the end.
I laughed, I cried, and my heart was warmed by this story of three women making it in a sometimes harsh world. You’ll get caught up in the lives of these women as they each walk a different path with God and struggle with their individual shortcomings. I found myself nodding and saying, “Uh-huh, I know how that is.” God works in your life in ways you never expect, and each of these women find just how true that is. Glorious and inspiring, Divas of Damascus Road will leave you with a touch of sadness, a touch of hope, a touch of laughter, and a whole new way of looking at life’s struggles.
