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The Last Mile of the Way
Book by Young, Margaret Blair, Darius Aidan Gray
448 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2003
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108 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 16, 2016
I started this trilogy about 7 years ago and I finally finished the final book. I feel like it has come at a perfect time in my life. A time of questioning my testimony of the truthfulness of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A time where I wonder what is real and what is fiction. Reading the stories of the people who struggled with the culture of the time and the hardships they had when they decided to become members of the LDS church, affirmed my faith in Christ. They endured to the end. Their stories reminded me to First, trust God and everything else will fall into place. Yes, humans are human and have made horrible choices and been cruel but God has never been a Respecter of persons and He loves everyone. All his children. No matter what. So when I struggle with a new policy or hear an ignorant comment someone has made I will focus on the pure and simply truths. I am not perfect but I am a child of God. He loves me and loves us all. I will Try to be a good human in the world and love others. All the other things that come with religion can be so confusing and take us away from the heart of it all. Simply patterning our lives after Christ is pure and simple. I loved this series.
May 1, 2011
It took me awhile, but I finally got through this series and thoroughly enjoyed it. What a fascinating look at an often-overlooked part of church history. I learned a lot, and gained an increased respect and appreciation for blacks in general and black Latter-day Saints in particular.
The authors did an excellent job with their research. Really my only complaint was that it was sometimes difficult to remember who was who— especially by Book 3, as many generations had passed by the time this book begins in the early 1900s. There actually is a list of characters in the front of the book, but I wasn't willing to pause my reading long enough to keep turning back to the list.
The authors did an excellent job with their research. Really my only complaint was that it was sometimes difficult to remember who was who— especially by Book 3, as many generations had passed by the time this book begins in the early 1900s. There actually is a list of characters in the front of the book, but I wasn't willing to pause my reading long enough to keep turning back to the list.
August 27, 2018
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. Gray brings his considerable research and personal experience to this work, and we get a very personal insight into this very painful and difficult journey for many black saints.
If you want to learn what it would be like to overcome nearly insurmountable barriers to happiness and faith, read these 3 volumes.
If you want to learn what it would be like to overcome nearly insurmountable barriers to happiness and faith, read these 3 volumes.
April 9, 2023
Good book
June 29, 2023
Loved this series- it gave me such a new perspective
November 2, 2025
BOOK REVIEW - Sanding on the Promises, The Last Mile of the Way (Book 3),by Margaret Blair Young and Darius Aidan Gray (2003)
The Last Mile of the Way concludes Margaret Blair Young and Darius Aidan Gray’s remarkable trilogy chronicling the African American Latter-day Saint experience—a story long neglected in Church and American history alike. This final volume stands as both history and testimony: it captures the spiritual resilience of Black Saints who lived their faith against the backdrop of exclusion, racism, and transformation, and it carries that story into the late twentieth century as change finally began to take hold in the modern Church.
Set largely in the 1960s and 1970s, The Last Mile of the Way continues the saga of characters whose ancestors were introduced in the earlier volumes (One More River to Cross and Bound for Canaan). The authors weave together historical fiction and documented reality—fictional families such as the Martins and the Berrys stand beside real figures like Elijah Abel, Jane Manning James, and Darius Gray himself, co-author and activist for racial understanding within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The book draws readers through the tumultuous years leading up to the 1978 revelation on the priesthood, which extended full participation in Church ordinances to Black members for the first time. Rather than presenting the revelation as an isolated event, the authors depict it as the culmination of generations of faith, struggle, and unyielding devotion among African American Saints who refused to let prejudice separate them from God.
The emotional center of the book lies in its portrayal of faithful endurance. Readers see converts join the Church despite rejection, missionaries teach across racial barriers, and Black families strive to live gospel principles even while denied temple blessings. Young and Gray do not sentimentalize their characters’ pain; rather, they illuminate the tension between institutional exclusion and personal grace.
The prose is elegant, restrained, and deeply humane. The authors—one Black, one white—write with a shared moral clarity born of partnership and mutual respect. Their collaboration gives the narrative its strength: it is both confession and witness, both apology and celebration.
The Last Mile of the Way is not just about racial reconciliation; it is about the endurance of faith when human institutions falter. The title evokes both the hymn of perseverance and the long walk toward spiritual equality. The book closes on a note of cautious optimism, suggesting that true Zion requires not only revelation from heaven but repentance and renewal among humankind. Through their storytelling, Young and Gray remind readers that history is never merely past—it is a living call to remember, repair, and renew. The trilogy as a whole is a sacred reclamation of voices long silenced and a blueprint for empathy and progress within the Church.
Quotes:
“Faith is not a reward for the comfortable but a refuge for the wounded. The Black Saints did not wait for the Church to change before they believed—they believed, and their faith helped the Church to change.”
“We have walked a long road, and it has been steep with sorrow. Yet at the crest we find not bitterness but the quiet joy of those who have kept their covenants even when the world—and sometimes the Church—did not keep faith with them. This is what it means to endure to the end, to walk the last mile of the way.”
The Last Mile of the Way concludes Margaret Blair Young and Darius Aidan Gray’s remarkable trilogy chronicling the African American Latter-day Saint experience—a story long neglected in Church and American history alike. This final volume stands as both history and testimony: it captures the spiritual resilience of Black Saints who lived their faith against the backdrop of exclusion, racism, and transformation, and it carries that story into the late twentieth century as change finally began to take hold in the modern Church.
Set largely in the 1960s and 1970s, The Last Mile of the Way continues the saga of characters whose ancestors were introduced in the earlier volumes (One More River to Cross and Bound for Canaan). The authors weave together historical fiction and documented reality—fictional families such as the Martins and the Berrys stand beside real figures like Elijah Abel, Jane Manning James, and Darius Gray himself, co-author and activist for racial understanding within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The book draws readers through the tumultuous years leading up to the 1978 revelation on the priesthood, which extended full participation in Church ordinances to Black members for the first time. Rather than presenting the revelation as an isolated event, the authors depict it as the culmination of generations of faith, struggle, and unyielding devotion among African American Saints who refused to let prejudice separate them from God.
The emotional center of the book lies in its portrayal of faithful endurance. Readers see converts join the Church despite rejection, missionaries teach across racial barriers, and Black families strive to live gospel principles even while denied temple blessings. Young and Gray do not sentimentalize their characters’ pain; rather, they illuminate the tension between institutional exclusion and personal grace.
The prose is elegant, restrained, and deeply humane. The authors—one Black, one white—write with a shared moral clarity born of partnership and mutual respect. Their collaboration gives the narrative its strength: it is both confession and witness, both apology and celebration.
The Last Mile of the Way is not just about racial reconciliation; it is about the endurance of faith when human institutions falter. The title evokes both the hymn of perseverance and the long walk toward spiritual equality. The book closes on a note of cautious optimism, suggesting that true Zion requires not only revelation from heaven but repentance and renewal among humankind. Through their storytelling, Young and Gray remind readers that history is never merely past—it is a living call to remember, repair, and renew. The trilogy as a whole is a sacred reclamation of voices long silenced and a blueprint for empathy and progress within the Church.
Quotes:
“Faith is not a reward for the comfortable but a refuge for the wounded. The Black Saints did not wait for the Church to change before they believed—they believed, and their faith helped the Church to change.”
“We have walked a long road, and it has been steep with sorrow. Yet at the crest we find not bitterness but the quiet joy of those who have kept their covenants even when the world—and sometimes the Church—did not keep faith with them. This is what it means to endure to the end, to walk the last mile of the way.”
December 20, 2013
The last book of a very interesting trilogy about the largely unknown history of black Mormons. This last fictionalized account of actual people moves from the late 1800s to the announcement that the Priesthood could be conferred upon all worthy male members of the Church without regard to race. This also opened the opportunity of blessings given to eligible members of all races which are bestowed only in LDS temples. This book explores the faith and discouragement of the blacks seeking these blessings through individual requests to LDS high authorities. The LDS Church's response and programs to support the continued faith and hope for blacks while yet withholding the Priesthood and therefore leadership, authority and temple blessings is shown sympathetically. Church leaders ask the black saints to take a position that few humans could do. Their meekness and strength is instructive to see.
January 12, 2008
This is the final book of the black Mormon pioneer trilogy. This book pretty much covers all of the 1900s and explores the descendents of the characters in book 1. Some chapters are quite small and appear to be historical inserts--that is, bits of important history that somewhat disrupted the novel. Some characters only exist for a chapter which also makes for a somewhat disruptive story (my opinion). Nevertheless, the book was well-paced and covered a lot of ground. I would certainly recommend the trilogy.
April 22, 2010
Of course, I had to read the last of this trilogy. The authors followed the posterity of the early pioneers and added many other people who were important to this true story. So there were many, many characters to weave in and out of the narrative. This volume was satisfying in many ways, leading up to the landmark revelation and tying up many threads. I would recommend this series to anyone who is interested in American history, pioneers, LDS church history, civil rights and/or an excellent human-interest story.
August 24, 2010
I was a little more lost in this one in keeping track of the characters. It was still good however the first was my favorite. Its hard to imagine the priesthood not being held by any worthy man that race played into it. I couldn't help but think about a home teacher we had growing up and knowing at that time he had probably only held the priesthood for a little over 10 years he had an amazing testimony of the gospel. Reading this opened a door into a part of the gospel that isn't often talked about but was necessary building line upon line, precept upon precept.
May 8, 2014
This book didn't hold my interest as well as the first two at first, but once it started to record the struggles of the African American saints after the Second World War and through the Civil Rights movement, it was fascinating. And heart breaking. Reading of prejudice and racism among the Latter-day Saints saddened me. The courage and faith of those who struggled to stay firm in their faith and testimonies against such tremendous odds inspires me. I'm glad I had the chance to read this faith filled series of books.
January 17, 2012
This whole trilogy is great. This is a very forgotten piece of LDS history. Our black brothers and sisters fought hard and showed the greatest of patience and diligence and such faith in the midst of adversity. All of the other nationalities could take a page from their history and learn a lot.
I am grateful to have ready these books and feel myself more learned about our faithful pioneer ancestors.
I am grateful to have ready these books and feel myself more learned about our faithful pioneer ancestors.
September 6, 2015
A Must Read!! You owe it to yourself to read this marvelous well written book
I want to read these three books again. It is my "Mormon" faith that I have taken for granted and my Black brothers and sisters have worked so hard to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. I loved the author's honesty and research. They have documented every statement. I hope to meet Black Jane someday.
I want to read these three books again. It is my "Mormon" faith that I have taken for granted and my Black brothers and sisters have worked so hard to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. I loved the author's honesty and research. They have documented every statement. I hope to meet Black Jane someday.
May 1, 2012
I really enjoyed this triology. However, this book was harder to follow because there were too many characters covering too wide of a time span. It is still a good book and I learned alot. I just think it should of been broken down into a couple more volumes. It wasn't as heavily researched as the other 2 in the series, relying mostly on personal memories. Worth the read.
November 3, 2013
This book was necessary after reading the first two, but it had much more of a "Okay, let's bring everything to the present and wrap up this series" feel to it. Some of the racist incidents were harder to read about, taking place in the not-so-distant past, but, to me, the overall message was still inspiring.
February 16, 2008
Lots of time and places are covered in this book and while it was a bit misplaced it is still a terrific book and so well written. I think these books should be mandatory reading for all young LDS teens and adults. You will walk away from this series a different person, I did!
January 26, 2016
I ended up really enjoying this series, although if I were to do it again I'd read book 3 before book 2. It would be more fun to end on the positive side of all the struggles of the black members of the church. This book got me more involved with the characters and I really liked that about it.
January 7, 2008
Once again, a further history of Jane Manning. You won't be able to put it down.
February 11, 2008
I loved the series.
November 28, 2008
This whole series was so eye-opening me and I will see so many things differently as a result of reading these books. Strongly recommend them to members of the LDS Church!
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January 29, 2010Fabulous conclusion but still so much work to do! I sure love President Kimball and it is amazing to see how the Lord works and the splendor he creates in our lives.
February 13, 2010
I really enjoyed this trilogy. I went from not realizing there were black Mormon pioneers to really having respect and sympathy for their trials and triumphs.
An eye-opening series.
An eye-opening series.
January 25, 2011
Enjoyed this trilogy of Blacks in Mormon History; I think especially because we served our mission among these people!
January 25, 2014
Great series! I highly recommend it! Very eye opening.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews