About the author:
\nA nativ
e of Chicago&rsquo\;s South Side\, Nancy Johnson worked f
or more than a decade as an Emmy-nominated\, award-winning television jour
nalist at CBS and ABC affiliates in markets nationwide. Nancy&rsquo\;s sec
ond novel\, People of Means\, a story of race\,
class\, and resistance in 1960s Nashville and 1992 Chicago\, released last
year from William Morrow/HarperCollins. \;PEOPLE Magazine&n
bsp\;named it one of its most anticipated books for 2025\, calling it &ldq
uo\;beautifully crafted&rdquo\; and &ldquo\;propulsive.&rdquo\; NPR descri
bed it as an &ldquo\;important\, thought-provoking novel.&rdquo\; \;
Nancy&rsquo\;s debut n ovel\, The Kindest Lie\, was reviewed by The New York Times\, The Washington Post\, and Los Angeles Times\, and was highlighted on Entertainment Weekly&rsquo\;s Must List. Her f irst novel was a Book of the Month Club pick\, a Target Book Club Pick\, a New York Times Editors&rsquo\; Choice selection and was named on e of the most anticipated books of 2021 by \;Newsweek\, \ ;O\, the Oprah Magazine\, Shondaland\, \;NBC News\,& nbsp\;Marie Claire\, ELLE\, \;The Chicago Tribun e\, \;Good Housekeeping\, Parade\, Refinery 29\, \;and more.
\nA graduate of Northwestern University an d The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\, Nancy lives in downtow n Chicago where she&rsquo\;s a director of brand journalism and storytelli ng for a large health care nonprofit.
\nIn People of Mea ns\, in the fall of 1959\, Freda Gilroy arrives on the campu s of Fisk University full of hope\, carrying a suitcase and the voice of h er father telling her she&rsquo\;s part of a family legacy of Black excell ence. Soon\, the ugliness of the Jim Crow South intrudes\, and Freda\, rel uctant to get involved\, is torn between a soon-to-be doctor and an audaci ous young activist. Freda must decide how much she&rsquo\;s willing to ris k in the name of justice.
\nIn 1992 Chicago\, Freda&rsquo\;s daughte r\, Tulip\, is an ambitious PR professional on track for an exciting caree r\, if workplace politics and racial microaggressions don&rsquo\;t get in her way. But with the ruling in the Rodney King trial weighing heavily on her\, Tulip feels called to action and must choose\, just like her mother had three decades prior\, what her role will be in the story of America&rs quo\;s quest for equality.
\nBooks will be available for purchase courtesy of Mac's Backs - Books on Coventry.
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