Malcolm Graham to publish a book about the Charleston church shooting, 10 years after his sister's death

Zoom out: Graham says the book and the subjects it addresses are even more timely in the months after Donald Trump's presidential victory.

• "It's really important that we continue to tell the story," Graham says, "and that our Achilles heels as a country continues to be a racism, discrimination and hatred."

Zoom in: Graham wrote much of the book over the last year and a half, during mornings at the government center. He says it took him years to reach a point where he felt mentally ready to put pen to paper. Still, he sometimes had to step away.

Flashback: When Graham first saw the news that would change his family's trajectory, he was watching CNN. He called Cynthia to check on her. Mother Emanuel AME had been their family's church for about 50 years. About 30 minutes passed until he got a call from his niece, saying the family believed she went to church that night.

• "The book takes off from there and talks about that experience, and topics like, where was God? And the whole issue of forgiveness, the Confederate flag coming down, my interaction with (former South Carolina Governor) Nikki Haley and (U.S. Sen.) Tim Scott during those days, the trial itself."

What's next: Graham will start his book tour in Charleston at Hurd/St. Andrew's Library, where Cynthia was a librarian.

• "I thought it would be a perfect way to acknowledge her existence again," Graham says, "by having my book in her library."