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The Divas #2
India
Not yet published
Expected 31 Dec 30The Divine Divas are on their way! They won the local, and now they're all set to wow the judges at the state competition in San Francisco. This hot, hip girl group is out to set gospel music on fire.While India Morrow is happy her BFFs included her in the Divas, she knows she's not cute like Diamond, cool like Veronique, or smart like Aaliyah. Maybe if she were supermodel-thin, like her mom, she'd stand out in a crowd, but dieting never seems to work for her. The Divas are poised to win the next level of the competition and India is scared she'll let her friends down. With only fifty-eight days to get it all right, her cousin Jill tells her the secret -- how to lose weight while still eating.
The pounds start falling away; India is finally getting lots of attention. If only she didn't feel bad about keeping a secret. She's scared of what her friends, parents, and Pastor Ford would say. What she's doing isn't so wrong, is it? All she wants is to be a star...but will the price be too great for her, body and soul?
The pounds start falling away; India is finally getting lots of attention. If only she didn't feel bad about keeping a secret. She's scared of what her friends, parents, and Pastor Ford would say. What she's doing isn't so wrong, is it? All she wants is to be a star...but will the price be too great for her, body and soul?
Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2008
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163 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Christopher Murray
48 books2,421 followersVictoria Christopher Murray is the author of nine Essence bestselling novels, including The Ex Files; Too Little, Too Late; and Lady Jasmine. Winner of the African American Literary Award for Fiction and Author of the Year (Female).
She has received numerous awards including the Golden Pen Award for Best Inspirational Fiction and the Phyllis Wheatley Trailblazer Award for being a pioneer in African American Fiction. Since 2007, Victoria has won nine African American Literary Awards for best novel, best Christian fiction and Author of the Year — Female. After four nominations, Victoria finally won an NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Literary Work for her social commentary novel, Stand Your Ground.
Victoria splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington DC.
She has received numerous awards including the Golden Pen Award for Best Inspirational Fiction and the Phyllis Wheatley Trailblazer Award for being a pioneer in African American Fiction. Since 2007, Victoria has won nine African American Literary Awards for best novel, best Christian fiction and Author of the Year — Female. After four nominations, Victoria finally won an NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Literary Work for her social commentary novel, Stand Your Ground.
Victoria splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington DC.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 10, 2011
You know, I think there was a missed opportunity here.
Of the 180+ eating-disorder related books on my Goodreads shelf, guess how many of them address eating disorders in black communities? Counting this book, 2 (the other being Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat: A Story of Bulimia). There's also one book (Thin) that includes an interview with a black woman with bulimia. I'll concede one more in case I've missed something.
Let's see if I can do the very complex math that adding those up requires... and we have 3, or at most 4, books that deal with eating disorders among African-Americans. At best, that is 1 book out of every 45.
(An aside: the writing was fine and the dynamics between the characters were often great. But let's face it, I don't go hunting down ED-related books, many of which are terrible, solely in hopes of interesting writing.)
So I was pretty pleased to find a book about a non-white character with an eating disorder. I've read articles about the prevalence of -- and silence surrounding -- bulimia in African-American communities, but this is the first piece of fiction that I've found that focuses on a character who is both African-American and bulimic.
But -- is there any recognition of that? No. The author does, to her credit, make mention of the fact that eating disorders sometimes run in families, but beyond that there's no real discussion of race or family dynamics. India's friends, when they finally find out, barely touch on the subject of bulimia before moving on to more comfortable topics (which might not bother me as much if there was any recognition that that silence is a problem). And -- to top it all off -- India's recovery is rushed through and she maintains the weight loss she achieved through bulimia, which I'm not sure is the way to go to paint a realistic picture.
Otherwise, the book is fine, and if I was in the target age range I might go looking for other books in the series. I just wish the author had shot a little bit higher.
Of the 180+ eating-disorder related books on my Goodreads shelf, guess how many of them address eating disorders in black communities? Counting this book, 2 (the other being Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat: A Story of Bulimia). There's also one book (Thin) that includes an interview with a black woman with bulimia. I'll concede one more in case I've missed something.
Let's see if I can do the very complex math that adding those up requires... and we have 3, or at most 4, books that deal with eating disorders among African-Americans. At best, that is 1 book out of every 45.
(An aside: the writing was fine and the dynamics between the characters were often great. But let's face it, I don't go hunting down ED-related books, many of which are terrible, solely in hopes of interesting writing.)
So I was pretty pleased to find a book about a non-white character with an eating disorder. I've read articles about the prevalence of -- and silence surrounding -- bulimia in African-American communities, but this is the first piece of fiction that I've found that focuses on a character who is both African-American and bulimic.
But -- is there any recognition of that? No. The author does, to her credit, make mention of the fact that eating disorders sometimes run in families, but beyond that there's no real discussion of race or family dynamics. India's friends, when they finally find out, barely touch on the subject of bulimia before moving on to more comfortable topics (which might not bother me as much if there was any recognition that that silence is a problem). And -- to top it all off -- India's recovery is rushed through and she maintains the weight loss she achieved through bulimia, which I'm not sure is the way to go to paint a realistic picture.
Otherwise, the book is fine, and if I was in the target age range I might go looking for other books in the series. I just wish the author had shot a little bit higher.
October 29, 2012
Date: Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Title: The Divas: India
Author: Victoria Christopher Murray
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 1-41
The Divas: India is about a girl named India who is very insecure about herself. She thinks she's too fat, not as pretty as her friends, too dark, etc. She is part of a group called Divine Divas with her best friends, Diamond, Veronique, and Aaliyah. She isn't as popular as the rest of them. She feels like she doesn't belong with them. She doesn't stand out in the crowd. Diamond is cute, Veronique is cool, and Aaliyah is smart. India is just herself. She wants to be like her friends.
The Divas: India has a text-world connection. Many girls are insecure about their weight. Even though, they are skinny. I hate when girls do that. My friend is always complaining about how she is too fat when she's only 110 pounds. It's much better than being super skinny. It's just more to love. Sometimes I just want to throw a huge tirade at her about how perfect she is just the way she is. Most girls are also insecure about how they look. They always think someone is prettier than them and way better looking. I sometimes think that too.
I predict that India will try to lose weight now, I mean really try. She will stop eating altogether and go on a diet but it won't go well. She will be forced to eat and probably become bulimic and anorexic which isn't good for her. She will probably get very sick and something will go wrong. It will be very perilous for her. She will say adieu to her fat. She will be a totally different person and she will probably stand out from the crowd now.
I think India wants to be more like her friends. I think she's jealous of them. She wishes she was like them. They are every thing she wants to be. She wants to stand out in the crowd like them and be noticed and not pushed out of the crowd. I also think people think of her as the fat one out of the group that doesn't matter and they only care about the others because of their looks and appearances.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Divas: India
Author: Victoria Christopher Murray
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 1-41
The Divas: India is about a girl named India who is very insecure about herself. She thinks she's too fat, not as pretty as her friends, too dark, etc. She is part of a group called Divine Divas with her best friends, Diamond, Veronique, and Aaliyah. She isn't as popular as the rest of them. She feels like she doesn't belong with them. She doesn't stand out in the crowd. Diamond is cute, Veronique is cool, and Aaliyah is smart. India is just herself. She wants to be like her friends.
The Divas: India has a text-world connection. Many girls are insecure about their weight. Even though, they are skinny. I hate when girls do that. My friend is always complaining about how she is too fat when she's only 110 pounds. It's much better than being super skinny. It's just more to love. Sometimes I just want to throw a huge tirade at her about how perfect she is just the way she is. Most girls are also insecure about how they look. They always think someone is prettier than them and way better looking. I sometimes think that too.
I predict that India will try to lose weight now, I mean really try. She will stop eating altogether and go on a diet but it won't go well. She will be forced to eat and probably become bulimic and anorexic which isn't good for her. She will probably get very sick and something will go wrong. It will be very perilous for her. She will say adieu to her fat. She will be a totally different person and she will probably stand out from the crowd now.
I think India wants to be more like her friends. I think she's jealous of them. She wishes she was like them. They are every thing she wants to be. She wants to stand out in the crowd like them and be noticed and not pushed out of the crowd. I also think people think of her as the fat one out of the group that doesn't matter and they only care about the others because of their looks and appearances.
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November 14, 2010
This book by Victoria Christopher Murray touches on weight issues from a young females point of view. Readers will understand the consequences of trying to be someone that they are not. The book also touches on self-esteem and pressures of being young. I recommend this book to all young adults especially females.
June 15, 2011
Eating disorders, self esteem and size issues is a very serious situation facing our society (No matter your age group).I am very glad that this book addresses this issue and it comes from a Christian perspective.
July 2, 2013
I really enjoyed India's story and am looking forward to getting to know Vee and Aaliyah.
***SPOILER*** Question/Thought
I wonder if we will see Riley again.
***SPOILER*** Question/Thought
I wonder if we will see Riley again.
Read
April 4, 2015This book is an amazing story of how certain struggles aren't just a "white" thing but they are an "everybody" thing. Anorexia is nothing to play with and this book tells the truth behind the facade.
June 27, 2010
very good
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews