I, Tina

 

I, Tina

Anna Mae, Anna Mae. What an incredible story. I can’t believe the endurance this woman had. I’m giving this book 5 stars because I could not put it down.

I thought this book was an autobiography but it’s more of an authorized biography. It’s tells the story of Tina’s life but also includes interviews of her and people who were in her life. Even Ike! All in all, this was a sad story. I wonder what would have happened if Tina took up karate instead of chanting and whooped Ike’s behind. If you watched What’s Love Got to do with it, you may be familiar with some of the events in this book. But that movie polished it up for Hollywood. Ike wasn’t just beating Tina’s behind, he was whopping his side chicks too! I mean really beating them. To the point, Tina became friends with one of them because they were both being abused by the same man.

The movie did make Tina out to be innocent and love stricken with Ike, but that wasn’t the case either. Tina doesn’t paint their love affair that way. It just happened, and it wasn’t really love. It was just abuse and an abused person not being able to break free. She wasn’t even getting paid at one time.

I loved this book because it took you inside Tina’s world. I couldn’t help but feel her pain but also her strength. It took unspeakable strength and endurance to be beaten down to nothing, and still find your way back to yourself. She did break free and she never looked back. She didn’t even seem bitter in the book. She didn’t say bad things about Ike, she just told what happened. I would have tore his azz apart if it was my book. I would have dog walked him through those pages. But Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, because Miss Tina sought healing. That showed me, it’s important to find something that works for you. She didn’t turn to drugs, she didn’t act out, didn’t even bash him in her book. She chanted and that’s what worked for her. That’s what gave her the strength to leave and reclaim her life. I don’t want to give it all away. I highly recommend you read this book. Until next time …

 

Be well. Be you!