Lost and Found: Finding Hope in the Detours of Life

Sarah Jakes (Colliding with Destiny), the daughter of pastor and author T.D. Jakes, who founded the megachurch Potter’s House in Dallas, has penned a well-structured if unpolished memoir. Jakes is the divorced mother of two children who had her first child at 14 and a second child while married to an unfaithful football player who played briefly for the National Football League. The wisdom Jakes has gleaned from her experiences belies her youth, though a lack of maturity is apparent in writing that leans heavily on clichés that dull the impact of some of her more resonant observations. For instance, she refers often to fairy tales and princesses; reaching for trite phrases, she writes about drowning and being in too deep The stress and scrutiny of being a Jakes daughter haunts her each time she takes a wayward turn, but eventually, her parents and prayer are what lead this prodigal daughter home. Her father writes a proud foreword. (Apr.)