Walking Through Fire

Despite being sadistically sliced at age 8, nearly drowned at 4, and shot at 5, a forceful and determined woman emerged. As Antonia Valerie Martinez's life unfolded with never-ending challenges, her mandate became the teaching of African American history. Interwoven within this jarring biography of a contemporary and so-called Ordinary African American woman, exists a tapestry of New Orleans history. The story is full of intrigues that include some Voodoo and DNA surprises.