Shine on Me

From the moment she was born, Margaret Vizinau faced enormous obstacles. Despite them all-including being born blind after her pregnant mother contracted German measles-Margaret grew up to be a woman of great faith who dedicated her life to the Lord.

Her family migrated to the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1940s to escape the rampant discrimination in the South, and in 1950, Margaret entered an interracial marriage with a nonbeliever. But after six years and the birth of two sons, Dexter and Hank, the marriage ended in a painful divorce.

Margaret supported her boys by playing the piano and singing for local churches, but she faced countless challenges as a blind, African American single parent. None of them stopped her from lovingly guiding her sons through the changing times of the civil rights movement, their burgeoning pubescence, and the lure of drugs and violence on the streets.

Written by Margaret's older son, Shine on Me delivers a fascinating look into the life of a strong, inspirational woman and mother whose unwavering faith in God carried her through life's struggles.