Joy in the Morning: A Mother's Journey from Tragedy to Triumph

Chris Lewis met Kendrick Lott at St. Philip's Episcopal School in Dallas where the two worked as camp counselors. Chris, a Morehouse College student, had graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas one year earlier. Kendrick planned to attend Morehouse in the fall. But instead of becoming Morehouse brothers, the teens died together, brutally slain by two drugged out gang-bangers looking for someone to carjack. Chris was Joy Strickland's son and Joy in the Morning is her inspirational memoir of unspeakable tragedy, healing and profound change. Joy in the Morning is a valiant contribution to the field of grief memoirs. Here we have that rare title written by the mother of a murdered child. Strickland punctuates her story with her original poems and her reflections are the perfect complement, giving her book depth and texture. Strickland, a former IBM marketing executive, is founder and CEO of Mothers Against Teen Violence in Dallas. She says, "I have written this book believing that my experience will encourage and inspire others to see their challenges as an opportunity for personal transformation. I believe that healing and wholeness are accessible to us all; that joy is our divine right; and sharing this message is an important part of my purpose in life."