When The Music Changes: What Adversity Taught Me About the Healing Power of Family and Faith

In this page-turner of a memoir, Dr. Elfreda W. Massie seeks to answer this question: Why do some people experience extraordinary hardship yet manage to stay positive and flourish while others who’ve enjoyed good health, stable families, and relative privilege stumble over the slightest bump in the road? The question has intrigued Dr. Massie as someone who has experienced a generous helping of hardship–racial prejudice and major health issues–in her roles as a public educator, community leader, spouse, and mother. She asks, “What role do we as parents, educators, and community leaders play in helping or hindering the ability of others to meet and rise above life’s obstacles? Where do winning life skills come from and how can we nurture them?” This book is her very personal answer, described and discussed as a professional: “What sustains me–what has allowed me to honestly say I have led a rich, rewarding, and joyful life in spite of it all–is the power I draw from my self-identity.” Self-identity begins with family mythology–the stories of obstacles overcome, role models in her family who showed her how to maintain her dignity in the face of extreme prejudice, determination in the face of health crises, and, above all, faith in God’s word and plan. This is an African American memoir with a universal message to parents and educators–to raise healthy, productive children and help them develop a self-identity that draws on the positive, aspirational aspects of their family history and their lives. The book also carries a message of hope and encouragement to all who are dealing with adversity on their life’s journey.