Bamboozled by Jesus

How God Tricked Me into the Life of My Dreams

By: Yvonne Orji

Narrated by: Yvonne Orji

Thriving stand-up comic and actress Yvonne Orji—best known as Issa Rae's BFF on the HBO series, Insecure—shares the secrets to living the life of your dreams.

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 realizes 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 favorite source of inspiration: 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.

Critic reviews

“Inspiration practically leaps off the pages and into the hearts of readers.… Orji is a cheerleader and best friend for every dreamer.”—LaParis Hawkins, Booklist

“Yvonne is an original voice that really needs to be heard now more than ever. Once you let her in your mind, you’ll never want her to leave.”

—Chris Rock, actor and comedian

"Yvonne somehow found a way to brilliantly weave her humor, insight, courage, and faith into pages that feel like a weekend retreat hanging with your best, boldest, brightest and most blessed girlfriend. Bamboozled by Jesus is real talk about deep faith put in practice from a woman committed to living a life of vision, purpose, service and success."
—Kerry Washington, actress, producer, and director

"A delightful debut... Orji's boundless enthusiasm will appeal to her fans and newcomers alike."—Publishers Weekly

Perfectly Blended

Yvonne is truly amazing at blending scripture into a digestible modern day relatable format. If you are not a Christian you don’t feel beat over the head with dogma. Through her honest descriptions of how her relationship with her religion impacts her decision making process I was left inspired.
The advice is easily adapted to suit. If you read self help books you know they’re more like work books and can sometimes be intimidating my leaving you feeling like you have to set aside time to work through the exercises before you can start changing your life. In this book Yvonne lays out really simple approaches to positively change your mindset to dream a larger dream no matter what you believe. Well done!

Speechless

This book was amazing. What made it amazing was that the author read it so I got the actual heart and passion of the story

YOU NEED THIS BOOK IN YOUR LIFE!!

Sooooo let’s talk about the fact that I now have to buy the hard copy version of this book so I can get my highlight on lol and just study all the places Holy Spirit spoke to me….that’s pretty much the entire book lol. I had to pause and rewind so many times because I needed to write down the scriptures referenced and the gems dropped. To be honest, hearing you read this AMAZING book aloud is an absolute MUST!! It just hits different! Yvonne, God’s favor is written all over you. Your “yes” to God is living proof of how His plans for our lives and the way in which He blesses us isn’t just intended for us….it doesn’t just bless us….it’s meant to impact the lives of others. It is meant to draw them closer to Him. I will definitely be gifting this book to as many as my coinage will allow lol! “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” -Numbers 6:24-26

She made Jesus RELATABLE

This book is not for everyone. Not for the super, proper Christians. That’s exactly why I think she was led to write it. There are a lot of people that want/need Jesus but can’t relate Him and His teachings to present day. This book did just that. It was enjoyable & relatable. Not stuffy & perfect. Yvonne pulls you in from the beginning. I’m 41 and really enjoyed the spin she gave. I like that it felt like a convo I would have with a friend. She made it make sense when sharing her experiences.

Hilariously motivating!

A beautiful blend of faith, encouragement and comedy. I've listened to this book twice and plan to listen to chapters 15 to the end, again. SO many gems dropped in this book. Contemplating buying the paperback, also. Strong work. Well, done, o!