Not Wanting a Thing to Be the Thing

""In Not Wanting a Thing to Be the Thing, Mitzi J. Smith shares her deeply personal journey as a stroke survivor, weaving together the intersection of health disparities, trauma, faith, and resilience within the Black community. Written from her perspective as a Black woman, biblical scholar, and womanist writer, this creative memoir explores the profound impact of stroke on the body, mind, and soul. Smith's story is a necessary act of survival, offering a raw, poignant reflection on healing, survival, and the fight for justice."" --Donald E. Quist, author of To Those Bounded ""Smith's stroke memoir recounts her experience of the 'civil war' within her body and her subsequent recovery. With unflinching honesty and vulnerability, Smith provides a bold voice for the many voiceless patients from whom we all must learn. This moving and inspiring memoir should be assigned reading for all healthcare professionals and student clinicians."" --Amy Becklenberg, Clinical Associate Professor, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola University Chicago ""In this remarkable stroke memoir, Dr. Mitzi Smith reflects on her struggle and survival through the lenses of intergenerational history, biblical texts, and medical realities. The result is a piercing and poignant fight story, an act of vulnerability and courage, and a generous sharing of hard-earned wisdom that will inspire and empower anyone who faces life-changing trauma."" --Christine Roy Yoder, Senior Vice President, Columbia Theological Seminary ""As a sixty-something black woman who has recently had to accept the fact that there are some ailments that now require medication, I hungrily attached myself to Mitzi's story in a way that surprised me, in a way that brought tears to my eyes. I had secretly wondered whether she would write about her 'thing' that she didn't want to be a thing and oh did she ever. Mitzi is a brilliant thinker and riveting writer, and so all her writings have left a part of me forever changed--but this book is personal. In her own words, this is her 'fight story.' A story indeed about the 'civil war' that erupted in her body. Mitzi has never been one to hold back, but this level of transparency invites every woman to the emergency room where their sacred scars can find a community of hearers. It's been said that every winner has scars. Thank you, Mitzi, for sharing yours with us and challenging us to fess up and deal with our things that we didn't want to be a thing."" --Genetta Y. Hatcher, Pastor, The Room Church, Roseville, Michigan ""Mitzi Smith's transparency is a great gift in this riveting, must-read memoir. Her discussion of 'the wars that broke out in my body' weaves a testimonial of vulnerability with threads of faith-filled resiliency and loving memories of her mother. Identifying as an ""'intergenerational creative and fighter, ' Smith's poignant message of humble gratitude for each milestone also boldly unveils the inconsistencies of healthcare systems. This memoir inspires us to navigate life's dance of uncertainty with hope."" --Valerie Miles-Tribble, Professor of Ministerial Leadership and Practical Theology, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley School of Theology ""Shaped by experiential knowing that is informed by a keen awareness of complex systems that disproportionately affect the lives of Black women, Not Wanting a Thing to Be the Thing is a fight story--a revolutionary act born out of a desire to live and thrive. The author's transparency, vulnerability, and resiliency serve as a warning to Black women, and those who love them, to be attentive to and responsive to one's body."" —