Bamboozled by Jesus: How God Tricked Me into the Life of My Dreams

by Yvonne Orji

Yvonne Orji has never shied away from being unapologetically herself, and that includes being outspoken about her faith.Known for interpreting Biblical stories and metaphors to fit current times, her humorous and accessible approach to faith leaves even non-believers inspired and wanting more.The way Yvonne sees it, God is a Sovereign Prankster, punking folks long before Ashton Kutcher made it cool. When she meditates on her own life--complete with unforeseen blessings and unanticipated roadblocks--she realises it's one big testimony to how God tricked her into living out her wildest dreams. And she wants us to join in on getting bamboozled. This is not a Self-Help book--it's a Get Yours book!In Bamboozled by Jesus, a frank and fresh advice book, Orji takes readers on a journey through twenty-five life lessons, gleaned from her own experiences and her favourite source of the Bible. But this ain't your mama's Bible study. Yvonne infuses wit and heart in sharing pointers like why the way up is sometimes down, and how fear is synonymous to food poisoning. Her joyful, confident approach to God will inspire everyone to catapult themselves out of the mundane and into the magnificent.With bold authenticity and practical relatability, Orji is exactly the kind of cultural leader we need in these chaotic times. And her journey through being Bamboozled by Jesus paints a powerful picture of what it means to say "yes" to a life you never could've imagined--if it wasn't your own.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Christian, Self Help, Faith, Humor

247 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 25, 2021

Reviews

[Book Reviews by Tara aka Queen of Memoirs · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me close to a month to complete this book.
That’s a long time for me. I usually complete a book in about a week. But I was kind burnt out from reading and I needed to slow down and take a break. So I read this book at a very slow pace.
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Instead of writing a traditional review, I’ve decide to share some quick thoughts…
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1. This is a very entertaining, humorous and easy read. Definitely 5⭐️s.
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2. The way Yvonne interprets and modernizes stories of the Bible is witty and genius.
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3. This book is filled with page upon page of words-of-wisdom, without being preachy. Her delivery is welcoming.
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4. I found her life story inspiring.
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5. I recommend this book for everyone! It would also make a great gift for girls as young as middle school. If I had a teenage daughter this book would be required reading.
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A few of my favorite quotes…
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“Your feelings are like that shady uncle at the family reunion-they can’t always be trusted.”
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“What you focus on will expand, and it will either enlarge your territory or deflate your drive.”
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“Comparison is an enemy of progress. It steals your joy, frustrates your grace, and robs you of your peace.”
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“If you’re only focused on what’s popular, you’re gonna miss out on doing what’s purposeful.”
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So there you have it! My thoughts and some of my favorite quotes. I’m so glad I finally completed a book again😂. This was a good one!

[Tiasha ~ talesoftiasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about countering imposter syndrome and striving for an incredible life, backed up by the knowledge that you were put on this earth to achieve your birthright of greatness. Keep your head held high boo, you deserve nothing but the best. Orji reminds us not to compromise on our career, home, and relationship ideals.

My favorite part of this book was being able to consume stories from the Bible in humorous ways that showed the relevance to our everyday lives - Orji tied in parables with each of her life lessons. I will definitely be carrying these lessons with me throughout my life.

I’m a huge fan of Yvonne Orji, whether it’s in her stand-up, or her role on the HBO series Insecure, so I jumped at the opportunity to review her new work! Her child of immigrants perspective in her comedy is of course relatable to me. Watching her on Insecure for the last five years has been life changing - seeing a Black woman thriving in a high position in a corporate setting, and seeing a Black woman be loved, especially by Black men and other poc, has been so healthy for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Dorothy E. Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my very first audiobook. I was not disappointed. I had to hear the author’s words in the author’s voice. She spit mad wisdom in such a short space! There were times when I wasn’t sure if she was reading her testimony or reading my mail. It really gave me strength as I listened during my commute home. I felt energized and a push to keep it moving.

If you’re feeling despondent, low and on the verge of giving up, read or listen to this book. If this doesn’t get you hyped about your life and what God is able to do if you keep hope alive, then I don’t know what will.

Her humor and perspective on the characters in the “good book” as she calls it, will have you not only rolling on the floor laughing but pausing as you see your flaws in those who are now famous for their faith and courage in dire situations and circumstances. Go ahead, let God bamboozle you too boo. I am.

[Ancillar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A huge thanks to Worthy Publishing for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I did scream when I saw the email because wow who wouldn’t?

If you are expecting a book about a very perfect never stumbled and never failed a class human then this isn’t it! In Bamboozled by Jesus Yvonne takes us through lessons from her life infused with Biblical principles and yes it’s not one of those long, boring books that make you snore wild awake. The chapters are short (so perfect for me) and filled with wisdom and humor. You will be laughing, crying, nodding your head and low-key feel like you are having a conversation with your friend (Yvonne). She honestly depicts her journey from where she started from and where she is. Expect to be bamboozled on the detours she took from a child whose parents wanted her to be a doctor (get the book and call me out) to the well-traveled and respected comedian she is. If you have been struggling to trust God’s process GET this book.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like her character on Insecure, her podcast and HBO stand-up special. However, this memoir about how she was able to accomplsh her wildest dreams, without compromising her the faith and intertwining Bible stories as examples, fell flat for me. It read more like bible study with a dash of self help and comedic one liners.

[Lady Tamakloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

My ohh my! I’m not trying to do justice with this book reflection because truth be told I can’t.
The title of this book was actually the catch and for some weird reason I just needed a copy of this book all of a sudden.

Once I started this book, I just knew where the prompting to get a copy of the book came from at this exact time and it made me cry and laugh at the same time.

Bamboozled by Jesus resonates with me on all angles that I can’t understand nor explain.
I didn’t have any expectation reading this book but I was blown.
The depth, the aptness, the connection, the reality, the humour, the faith talk and steps,the wisdom, the truth, the revelations….

Every chapter, every page, every line felt like it was from God’s mouth to my ears and heart.
I have cried, prayed, laughed and smiled reading this book. I have also had to pause and make notes,literally talk to God and put the book aside and sleep.
That’s how personal and relatable this book is to me. It’s actually God’s personal note to me.

Bamboozled by Jesus in in summary tells of how a 21st Century Woman willingly surrenders everything everything to God and doesn’t let the world dictate or set standards for her but by the help of the Holy Spirit set her own standards and make it against all odds.

Dearest, achiever success on your own terms, keep your eyes straight ahead, focus on your focus, show up confidently as your full self, don’t get tired, there’s a win with your name on it, risk it so you don’t regret it, don’t be afraid of failure because it’s a perfect breeding ground for growth, don’t ever settle, show up and know that it will happen!

[Jailai · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was nothing short of amazing!

Oh my, the realness of this one was great. So many points made and pointed out as well!

The title could be like “what theeeee” but please give it a go!

[Free Ekpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the opening pages of this book, Yvonne Orji insists this is not a self help book but… it is a self help book haha. It’s a book about how you, too, can learn to live the life of your dreams, i.e, get bamboozled by Jesus.

Now I always begin self help book reviews with stating that I detest self help books. So there, now you know. But I really, really liked this book and I’m sure it’s because I really, really like Yvonne Orji. I love her fun personality, I love her humor, and I love her story. Her story is the American dream success story we all love to hear about. Her family came here as immigrants, she spent years in New York trying to break into the comedy scene, she’s been flat out broke with student loans and endless bills until finally catching her big break. And what’s more, she’s unapologetically a Christian. I am here for it all!

So yeah, while I hate self help books, I enjoyed reading this book, and I enjoyed this book because I enjoyed hearing Yvonne’s story. I also liked that she incorporated scripture and pop culture references throughout her book. And although I did not seek out her book for advice, counsel, or tips, I did leave feeling encouraged and I hope others do as well.

[Jyia · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this book was an unconventional read for me. I’m not the least bit religious and so it took a while to get to a place of understanding with this book 😮‍💨
It usually doesn’t take much for me to put a book down and never pick it up again, but I was eager to finish this because, despite our differences in belief, Yvonne was very relatable and real.
Her modern adaptions of stories in the Bible proved to be comical at many points and her personal anecdotes were engaging and I had many positive take aways.

[John Ready Reader One · Rating 5 out of 5]

+1 for her candor. It was good and writing style was probably 4* but I thought this was a good and transparent book.

[Syvehlla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book! Her hood retelling of bible stories almost had me in tears lol.

[Kellie Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yvonne kept her story humorous and down to earth! The real authentic expression of life and the cons and pros of choices we make. Very inspirational and touching. One of my favs of 2021

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came at the absolute right time for me. Yvonne has a GIFT and I'm so glad she shared it with us in her book. One of my fave quotes (although there were so many!) - "You can't wear a crown with your head down and trying to do the most is leaving you with the least and stripping you of your royalty."

[Cara Deane · Rating 2 out of 5]

#22 for your girl. I finished this last week. That’s how crazy it’s been. 😩Bamboozled by Jesus is a memoir by Yvonne Orji— who famously plays “Molly” in the hit series “Insecure”. She decided to tell the story of her life (so far) and weave in stories of the Bible that seemingly relate. I always appreciate when people can take the Word (which, to me, is a sacred text) but make it relatable and fun and applicable to one’s life. My Pastor does this seamlessly but doesn’t cheat the text— if anything he reveals the layers upon layers upon layers… But sometimes, you can try to do this with the Word and in your attempt to make it relatable, you dumb it down. And the Word is not meant to be dumbed down. For me, I think it was when Yvonne called Abraham the first F boy, that I was kind of done. And that was fairly early on in the book. I’m sure it will speak to many— but coming off of reading Howard Thurman…for me…this wasn’t it.

Plus, I can’t stand Molly.

#iread #chasingcarabooks #chasingcarabooks21

[Lanesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF: I tried to enjoy this book but after a while it seemed sort of self centered... literally... all about her success and the things she's accomplished. This isn't a bad thing per se, everyone deserves their flowers. However, it turned into her giving herself flowers and putting God's name on the tag that says "From:" ... I can relate to ppl having faith in the Lord, however, let's not count out the person doing all the work: YOU. She gives examples of how "God" told her to take "this" path or to do "this" selfless act of kindness... when it was obviously HER telling herself to do this and then when her risk reaps rewards, she says "God did it", like she wasn't working hard throughout the whole time to get to where she was. But if that's how she chooses to understand her hard work, that's cool.

If you want a funnier and more entertaining way to get the message she's trying to send, just watch Yes Man starring Jim Carrey.

Disclaimer: THIS IS MY OPINION AND YOU DO NOT HAVE TO AGREE. GOOD DAY :)

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never heard of Yvonne before, so it was really interesting seeing her perspective on her Nigerian American experience and efforts to find her passion and push for her goals. It felt a little bit like a dreams-and-goals prosperity gospel at times, but it’s clear she acknowledges that a life relying on God comes with a lot of hardships too. I chuckled a number of times throughout the book and generally found her story a worthwhile “read” (this was my first audiobook ever). It’s definitely aimed for very goal-oriented people who are striving for success, so I didn’t feel like most of her advice applied to me, since my idea of success is on a much smaller, more intimate scale. Still, she reminded me how big our God is, and how much more I should expect out of my life and myself.

[Foxy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a relatable book, tried to slow it down a bit so i don't finish it in one reading, was hooked from the first chapter and makes one self-retrospect to find out where and when they were bamboozzled. God gives us gifts everyday but realising and acknowledging the gifts is where the problem starts. Would recommend this book to anyone who is a believer and questioning their lives or the path they are walking in their lives.

[Raindrops And Readers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book when it first came out but couldn't get into it. Fast forward to now, this book is extremely timely for the season I am in. I highly recommend and get the audible if you can. The modern "versions" to the Bible stories is a bonus.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. I liked how to made stories from the bible correlate with things that was going on in her life.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on Audible with the author narrating, and she was hilarious. The book is quite good. It follows the author’s faith journey, with her current spin on the Bible. It was entertaining and had some good messages too.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. I found myself inspired. The book written for the biblical but will tell you about yourself folk. This not for the churchy but for those who love God, still sin, not heavy in the word but loves the word and Beyonce and DMX. I'm ready to do my work now.

[Aliza]

Listened to the audiobook. Wasn’t too bad. She did a lot of relating her life experiences to the Bible, so sometimes the book felt like a devotional. Coming into this I was hoping for more background on her journey to Insecure, what it’s like on set, how she came up with ideas for her HBO special, etc.

[Charm 🌻 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this audiobook and the fact that it was her in voice. There are words she includes in the flow of the audio that are not the exact same way in the book. I give it a solid 4, maybe even a 4.5. The biblical concepts and interpretations weren’t new knowledge for me, but I really appreciated reading about her relationship with the Lord and the evidence of that with her success. I’m at a place in my life where I am being pulled from religion telling me I have to have a relationship with God a specific and bounding way with others placing their convictions on me or else it won’t “work.” Yvonne was a breath of fresh air in reminding me to hold to YOUR convictions and be free in your relationship with Lord. And you know what, He was with her and led her all the way to her success in her own way. I love that God allows us to have and created us with our own personality, but the goal is to live a life with His character. Good read even if you’re not a religious person to not be bound by what you think your career path is supposed to be and follow your passion. Move beyond imposter syndrome, know your worth, and believe that you are worth it. You have something to offer the world and don’t settle for comfortable.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book at a time when I needed to be bamboozled. I had never heard of the author, but I loved the title & cover. Whoa…. I needed her encouragement. I needed her stories. I laughed, cried & prayed over ideas in this book. My husband & I prayed over ideas in this book.
I’m not one to write long reviews or share personal things on my reviews but if I could I would tell Yvonne “thank you. Thank you for putting some things into words to help me/us keep going. Because of your book I’m waiting to be bamboozled instead of wallowing in an unfortunate job situation. I know you would say it’s God who gave you the words and I would say Amen! I know it was God who put this book into my hands literally a week before we were put in a difficult situation. Thank you my sister in Christ. we’re looking at starting new ventures & walking in faith.”
I’ve recommended this to several friends & will probably have my teen daughter read this book later.

[Tamyka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t a fan before reading this book. I didn’t dislike her, I was just indifferent and didn’t know who she was as a person and who she was as a performer. Reading this book helped me see her as more authentic. I appreciated that she is so committed and true to her faith and seems to intentionally be living her purposes. I read the audiobook which she narrates and it just felt like I was meeting her at the airport while we waited for our delayed flights and she was just talking to me sis to sis. I highly recommend this book to any of her fans, any lovers of Christ or Christianity, and any women out there just trying to make it do what it do!

[Jenny Laird · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a credit for an audiobook, and very quickly picked something without even looking into it. I had no idea who Yvonne Orji was. It didn’t take me long to figure out this book is geared towards teenage girls- not for a woman in her 30’s. Having said that Yvonne is very funny, and there were so many “one liners” I wish I had of taken the time to write down. I also loved how she worked in stories from “the GB”. However there were many time I almost stopped listening. Yvonne’s standpoint seems to be if you trust God and work hard, you will be blessed. I think this is setting up young girls for disaster. That is not a guarantee. How are girls to be prepared for failures, disappointments and tragedy that are sure to come? Worldly success is not what we should be aiming for, and its not something just handed out with hard work and trust in God (although both can certainly help).
Overall some funny moments, some inspirational moments, but honestly couldn’t recommend it.

[Deborah Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

April 2024. Can confirm that this book still slaps.

Have read this book twice in the span of 4 months and will definitely be reading it again and again and again. I swear this book read my entireeeee soul! Part memoir, but mostly a faith based motivational book, this provided the motivation and confidence and encouragement I needed to enter this next step in my career and in my faith. Also Yvonne is hilarious and her interpretations of scripture are funny and down to earth. Obviously this book wasn’t written specifically for me but I swear it feels like it was.

[Evie Loves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love her! Love her comedy and her love for Jesus! This book (Yvonne) definitely inspired me! I loved her narration on the audio book. I watched Insecure and her HBO comedy special too and really enjoyed them both! I am looking forward to her future projects. Great book! I could read it again too.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whip smart and laugh out loud funny.

[TyAnn B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I love how Yvonne laid it out there and shared all her amazing stories on how God guided her and blessed her with everything she is today. Was an enjoyable read.