To Bria, With Love

Kenya Phifer-Jones has not seen it all nor done it all, but she's definitely "been there, done that" in many forms, and she's not afraid to talk candidly about it. Originally written as a guiding tool for her college-bound God-daughter Bria, Ms. Phifer-Jones decided to expand her audience to other young ladies and women who may feel lost, hurt, angry, confused, and uncertain about the daily trials of life and the many challenges women have to face and deal with. "To Bria, With Love" speaks from the heart and tells it like it is on several key topics, ranging from the delicate and sometimes complicated walk from girlhood to womanhood (she speaks frankly about issues she faced in childhood, including low self-esteem, bullying, depression, panic attacks, and "daddy issues"), self-love and self-acceptance ("you can't worry about who doesn't "get", accept, or like you, love and embrace YOURSELF"), spirituality(she speaks honestly about how difficult it was for her to trust and believe that God wasn't punishing her, but preparing her), men (they are some bewildering and mysterious creatures but you gotta love 'em!), love (she speaks openly about having her heart broken by her first love and how after meeting her husband, she was able to heal old wounds and courageously love again), and finally to sex and virginity(how she lost it, when she lost it, why she lost it, and why it wasn't worth it). Also included in the book: A detailed bio from 1997 entitled "Butterfly", written at the age of 22, during a time where she felt she was finally finding her voice and beginning to heal from years of uncertainty, self-loathing, and severe depression. In both "To Bria, With Love" and "Butterfly", Kenya shoots straight from the heart and doesn't mince words or make apologies for who she is, how she thinks, what she says, or all she's been through.