Nancy Johnson

Named Most Anticipated of 2021 by Marie Claire, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, Refinery 29, and PopSugar! “The Kindest Lie is a deep dive into how we define family, what it means to be a mother, what secrets we owe to those we love, and what it means to grow up Black. This beautifully crafted debut will keep you asking these questions and more.” —JODI PICOULT A masterful, eye-opening novel about the profound racial injustices and class inequalities roiling society in America. A promise could betray you. It’s 2008, and the inauguration of President Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated Black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. He’s eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth to—and was forced to leave behind—when she was a teenager. She had promised her family she’d never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past. Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. As she begins digging into the past, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. Just as Ruth is about to uncover a burning secret her family desperately wants to keep hidden, a traumatic incident strains the town’s already searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both their lives. Powerful and revealing, The Kindest Lie captures the heartbreaking divide between Black and white communities and offers both an unflinching view of motherhood in contemporary America and the never-ending quest to achieve the American Dream.

A Novel

The Kindest Lie

Named Most Anticipated of 2021 by Elle * Marie Claire * Good Housekeeping * Chicago Tribune * Woman's Day, * Refinery 29 * Bustle * The Millions * New York Post * Parade * Hello! Magazine * PopSugar * Black Business Guide * and more! "The Kindest Lie is a deep dive into how we define family, what it means to be a mother, what secrets we owe to those we love, and what it means to grow up Black. This beautifully crafted debut will keep you asking these questions and more." --JODI PICOULT A masterful, eye-opening novel about the profound racial injustices and class inequalities roiling American society, for fans of Tayari Jones and Jacqueline Woodson. A promise could betray you. It's 2008, and the inauguration of President Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated Black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. He's eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth to--and was forced to leave behind--when she was a teenager. She had promised her family she'd never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past. Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. As she begins digging into the past, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. Just as Ruth is about to uncover a burning secret her family desperately wants to keep hidden, a traumatic incident strains the town's already searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both their lives. Powerful and revealing, The Kindest Lie captures the heartbreaking divide between Black and white communities and offers both an unflinching view of motherhood in contemporary America and the never-ending quest to achieve the American Dream.

The Kindest Lie: a Novel

From the acclaimed author of The Kindest Lie, a propulsive novel about a mother and daughter each seeking justice and following their dreams during moments of social reckoning--1960s Nashville and 1992 Chicago--perfect for readers of Brit Bennett and Tayari Jones.
Two women. Two pivotal moments. One dream for justice and equality.
It's 1959, and Freda Gilroy has just arrived at Nashville's Fisk University, eager to begin her studies and uphold the tradition of Black Excellence instilled in her by her parents back home in Chicago. Coming from an upper-middle-class lifestyle where Black and white people lived together in relative harmony, Freda is surprised to discover the menace of racism down South. When a chance encounter with an intriguing young man draws her into the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement, Freda finds herself caught between two worlds, and two loves, and must decide how much she's willing to sacrifice in the name of justice, equality, and the advancement of her people.
In 1992 Chicago, Freda's daughter Tulip is an ambitious PR professional on track for a big promotion, if workplace politics and racial microaggressions don't get in her way. With the ruling in the Rodney King trial weighing heavily on her, Tulip feels increasingly agitated and decides she can no longer stay quiet. Called to action by a series of glaring injustices, Tulip makes an irreversible professional misstep as she seeks to uplift her community. Will she find the courage to veer off the "safe" path and follow her heart, just as her mother had three decades prior?
Insightful, evocative, and richly imagined with stories of hidden history, People of Means is an emotional tour de force that offers a glimpse into the quest for racial equality, the pursuit of personal and communal success, and the power of love and family ties.

People of Means

Ayago Wambile

The Impacts of the Arid Lands Resource Management Project (ALRMPII) on Livelihoods and Vulnerability in the Arid and Semi-arid Lands of Kenya

As a young orphaned drummer boy in the Civil War, Josh Parrish joins the 20th Maine in time to be caught up in the battle for Little Round Top.

A Civil War Story

My Brother's Keeper

During the turbulent years of the Civil War, three young people struggle to follow their dreams as the war devastates their homeland and their way of life in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Hannah Yeager works hard on her family's farm and teaches young children in a nearby school. She and her parents remain loyal to the Union. Secretly her fourteen-year-old heart thrills to romantic literature. She dreams that someday she will find a true love. When she does, he is a handsome Confederate colonel. The strong female character of Hannah will appeal to girls who often see the Civil War as all about the boys. Hannah is empowered by "The Crazy Man" who lives in nearby caves. She learns from him that she can do what she must do. Hannah's thirteen-year-old brother, Willy, is spirited and headstrong. He rebels against his family's values and seeks adventure by joining an outlaw raider band, terrorizing the Union Army. Charlie Richison is a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute. He dreams of bringing honor to the Confederacy, to his family, and to himself. He joins other VMI cadets to fight against the Union Army in the Battle of New Market. Shenandoah, Daughter of the Stars, presents the beauty of the valley and the devastation brought by the war. It shows the effect of the Reconstruction years which follow the war. It presents real people, General George Armstrong Custer, General "Stonewall" Jackson, General John Breckinridge and shows their effect on the lives of valley residents. Shenandoah examines the perennial dilemmas presented by war.

Daughter of the Stars: A Civil War Story

Shenandoah

The Story of the Spirit Pin is a tale about seeking perpetual peace on Earth to protect the most vulnerable population - the individual.

Nancy Johnson

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