Checking In: How Getting Real About Depression Saved My Life—and Can Save Yours

Grammy-winning singer and actor Williams debuts with a revealing account of the depression she felt despite finding success and fame as a member of the R&B group Destiny’s Child. After Destiny’s Child disbanded in 2006, Williams continued to perform in theater productions and make albums, but she writes of feeling lost and withdrawn, and of distancing herself from God because she was afraid of disappointing him. In 2018, Williams’s depression became an overwhelming “sea of darkness,” and she began planning her own funeral. Realizing she needed help, she checked into a hospital, where she discovered the tools that would equip her to fulfill God’s plan. Now a mental health advocate, she emphasizes the need to “check in” daily with God, oneself, and loved ones. While little practical advice is given, Williams encourages those suffering to “replace the lies with truth” by “trusting in the character of God.” Christians struggling with depression will relate to and find comfort in Williams’s vulnerable reflections. (May)