Sharon Risher

In this book, the Rev. Sharon Risher opens up her life to the reader. She shares stories of her childhood, her journey with the church, and the powerful presence of her mother, Mrs. Ethel Lee Lance. She also shares the unbearable experience of finding out that her mother was one of the nine people killed by a white supremacist in their Charleston church on June 17, 2015. This is not an easy book to read, especially when unthinkable acts of gun violence and racism continue to happen in our show more country over and over again. It is, however, an important book to read because Sharon approaches her story with an openness, honesty, and faithfulness that brings the reader into her experiences and then pushes us out to take action. I know Sharon from her time as a student at Austin Seminary and her continued work with the school, and this book is 100% her wonderful, real, funny, thoughtful, and present self. She wrestles with being pushed into a national spotlight after a horrible tragedy; getting to meet the Obamas while processing intense personal grief; dealing with family rifts that are made even larger with the absence of her mother; and needing to forgive on her own time, even if it doesn't match what the media or the public seem to want from her. It is such a gift to be able to share Sharon's journey through this book, and I hope her hard work in spreading this message pushes those of us who feel like we'll never be touched by racist fools or senseless gun violence to act. show less