Silver Linings: A Memoir

A memoir both heart-wrenching and inspiring.
"God's got his hands on you, boy, and don't you ever forget."

In this riveting, inspiring, and heart-wrenching coming-of-age account, United Methodist Bishop Leonard E. Fairley recounts his upbringing through the eyes of a young boy who discovers that even the unpredictable nature of everyday life is a woven tapestry held together by God's providence.

Fairley grew up as one of nine children to a single mother in Laurinburg, North Carolina. And while he experienced a great deal of suffering and difficulty, times that caused him to question life's circumstances and even faith, Fairley shares how he learned ways to straighten out the question marks of his life into the exclamation points of purpose.

"I will never accept injustices such as poverty, oppression, and racism as natural realities of life," Fairley writes in the preface. "I have gleaned wonderful lessons through the joys, laughter, tears, heartaches, trials, and friendships shared in these pages. It is, was, and will be these lessons that remind me never to allow the unfairness of life to strip me of a hope that is rooted in God's desire to make life worth living for all his children. I hope that this work will be of help to people who have allowed darkness to blind them to the many threads of light that make life worth living. It is my hope that it will restore hope in those who have lost the ability to believe in silver linings."

Learn about the upbringing that shaped this man of God into the leader, Christ-follower, and hope-bringer he is today.

For as Grandma Gladys taught, behind every dark cloud is a silver lining.

Buy Silver Linings today and prepare to be inspired beyond your expectations.

Praise for Silver Linings:

"Bishop Fairley's memoir paints a harsh, yet profound, picture of the realities of poverty and racism while embracing the enduring qualities of loyalty, family, devotion, perseverance, love, and faith. This is a journey of hope and healing, inspiring us to embrace the God-given relationships that shape our lives and help us recognize how we might overcome the polarization that too often divides us."-United Methodist Bishop Paul L. Leeland

"Seldom have I read a memoir written with such clarity that I feel like I'm the character described by the author. ... As you read Silver Linings, you will sense God reaching down, touching, and bearing Leonard's pain. You will feel God reaching down and bearing your pain, too! Pick up this book, and you won't be able to put it back down. Savor Leonard's way of sharing sacred stories. Discover, claim, and share your sacred stories, too."-The Rev. Dr. Bart W. Milleson, Leonard's college roommate, kindred spirit, fellow follower of Jesus, and United Methodist minister

"Leonard Fairley has every reason to be bitter. Born into a world of racism, poverty, injustice, and crushing circumstances, in Silver Linings, Leonard shows us how something altogether different took root in his life, shaping him to see and feel God in everything. From his birth story, the apartment he called "the coffin in Queens," his grandma's back porch bathtub, and beyond, Leonard leads us through his remarkable life with authenticity, truth, and loving care. As you read it, take heart. You are headed into deep waters that may very well pull you under and spit you out in a different place. Trust Leonard's story to lead you where you need to go, then invite it to take root in your life as well."
-Susan Newton Graebe, residency in ordained ministry coordinator, North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church