Ada's Rules by Alice Randall

Ada is a woman with a heart for change. Not comfortable with her weight Ada decides to make healthy lifestyle changes. "It's genes and stress and corn syrup in everything. And food pornography, every where we look, creating appetite." As she made this journey I had the chance to meet the people closest to Ada. There is her mother and father, Temple and Bird. There is her husband, Preach. Also, I met her daughters, Ruth and Naomi. "God was merciful. When she had stopped treasuring her own beauty, he had given her beauty to treasure--the twins." Not much is told about the daughters. Perhaps, they will appear in a future novel written by Alice Randall. Who knows? Surprisingly, I met an old flame too. His name is Matt Mason.  If I've left out any of the characters, I apologize because all of the characters in the book are well developed or have the potential to be well developed in another book.

Since I am an older adult, I was especially moved by Temple and Bird's story. As they have grown older,  they have suffered the knocks of life along the way. Still, they continue to struggle onward with the help of their daughter, Ada. I found it amazing that these two people could still walk forward each day after the loss of three grown daughters. The couple proves it's possible to endure the most painful situation. However, Ada's mother does succumb to Alzheimer's disease. Alice Randall writes about the couple's mistakes too. "Bird drank to drown and kill it. When she wasn't drunk, she thought of jumping into her front-yard lake..." Bird is not always able to recognize her daughter, Ada. Neither parent is able to clean their home. So the house is cluttered with items in wrong places and items no longer needed.

As I read the novel, I felt intrigued with Ada's ability to balance all of her roles in life. She loses touch with what she wants for herself. Soon she finds the way back to herself. She doesn't let go until her goals are reached. Ada's honesty about sex made me laugh. She's not ashamed to admit wanting it. Maybe it's her honesty that Preach loves so much. It's invigorating to read about a marriage where both the man and woman remain loyal to one another. Preach loves Ada whether she's big or small. I hope there is a couple in Nashville just like the couple made up by Alice Randall in Ada's Rules. Alice Randall scores well on writing about a tough subject."Writing about the body is an intimate undertaking. Writing with humor and love about the black woman's body is a delicate...."alicerandall, potw.org/archive

My Story, My Song by by Lucimarian Roberts, Robin Roberts

"On most days, I slide onto the piano bench just as the evening shadows fall across the living room of my Mississippi home. It is my refuge. It is where I come to meet with God."

I love this beginning of the book.