Through It All: Reflections on My Life, My Family, and My Faith

Christine King Farris tells her story in a truly faithful way. She writes about her growing up with two faithful parents and two brothers, one of whom rose through the ranks to become a historic figure in every way. Her chapters on the King family members whose deaths she witnessed are very moving and touching, and show that she has faith even in the most difficult of times. As the lone living member of a great family, she is a true inspiration to others. I also enjoyed her lively description of Ebenezer Baptist Church, the church she grew up at and which meant so much to her. In every case, she fits the criterion of Proverbs 31:10, "Who can find a capable wife? Her worth exceeds that of the most precious pearls."

Willie Christine King is the oldest sibling to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and A. D. King. At the young age of eighty, she shares with the world the hurt, pain, fun and sorrow of growing up as a King sibling. Each of the King children had a phenomenal life of their own in addition to being the older and younger sibling of the late great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Farris takes us through the early years of their life, living in the home with parents and grandparents who wanted a better life for their children. The foundation for our lives are set before we come into being, this was no different for the King children, whose parents and grandparents laid the foundation for education, preaching, teaching, politics, and activism. These things are still being done in the King family five generations later. Mrs. King-Farris used amazing quotes and anecdotes* to make her points, I found myself saying Mmm-mmm-mmm; a number of times. One of the statements she made which stands out for me is, " It is the story of a family that has been blessed by God to play a role in the struggle to help America deliver on its promise of freedom, justice, and equality for all citizens especially for those know as 'the least of these' ". We all need to stop hating and pulling each other down. If there is ever that moment when you regret who you are, or want to blame someone else for you troubles, I suggest you read THROUGH IT ALL. You will have a new view on your life as an African American, I do. Way to go Soror. Reviewed by Toni Bonita of The RAWSISTAZ (tm) Reviewers

I love this book, but a few things are missing what I would like to have read were her thoughts about the handling of the mlk estate and the king center by ML's children and the lawsuits that are flying back and forth. What were her thoughts of Coretta not being able to enjoy a grandchild while she was alive? Other than that Dr. Farris gives us a never before seen view inside the first family of civil rights. I recommend this to anyone who wants to go beyond the scope of an outsider in finding out about the civil rights leader and the family that he came from.