What in The Hell Happened Book Review

By Kam Williams    

"There is an illusion of marriage created by Hollywood... that only exists in the movies and on TV... All 'housewives' are not 'desperate,' and 'How I Met Your Mother' is seldom an accurate depiction of a Godly marriage...

This book has been written to help couples find fulfillment in marriages and to provide spiritual release to those who have broken the marital covenant and bond by divorce. We want to help save marriages and provide a basis to salvage relationships that may be floundering under the stresses of life or the pressure of current trends."

- Excerpted from the Introduction (pg. 5)

During the traditional exchange of wedding vows, a bride and groom invariably promise to remain together "'til death do us part." Yet, so many marriages end in divorce nowadays, suggesting that something must be amiss, given the clarity of that unambiguous pledge.

As pastor of Destiny Worship Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, Bishop Alphonso Lee Smith has pronounced plenty of couples husband and wife over the years, only to see some of those supposedly-sacred unions ultimately end in divorce. This has led the good reverend to wonder whether "vow-takers really know to what they are committing" or if they appreciate "the gravity of the wedding ceremony."

In What in the Hell Happened? An Intimate Look at Love and Relationship with Raw Honesty, he maintains that "marriage, as a practical consideration, should be entered into with wisdom... reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God." For he feels that engaged couples ought to be ought to be fully conscious of the covenant they are about to make with the Almighty.

Still, there comes a point in a severely strained relationship where one must assess wheter it can be saved, if it isn't on the rocks already. That is why the author places such an emphasis on premarital counseling.

Not being a hypocrite, Bishop Smith admits that even his own marriage failed, and he devotes an entire chapter to sharing that painful story. On those pages, he chronicles the emotional roller coaster ride he experienced as he went through the stages of denial, anger, guilt and self-confrontation prior to arriving finally at a peaceful place, by the grace of God.

A practical, prenuptial primer, written from a faith-based perspective, urging couples to reflect and really look before you leap.

To order a copy of What in the Hell Happened?:

What in the Hell Happened?
An Intimate Look at Love and Relationship with Raw Honesty
by Bishop Alphonso Lee Smith
Foreword by Bishop Aubrey Mullen, Jr.
Dunamis Publishing Associates
Paperback, $16.00
62 pages
ISBN: 978-1-60458-584-1

Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the African-American Film Critics Association, and the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee. Contact him through NewsBlaze. Read more reviews by Kam Williams.