People of Means

A Novel

One of NPR's Books We Love This Year!

“A powerful, thought-provoking saga.” —Woman’s World

"An evocative story of love and sacrifice.”—People

From the acclaimed author of The Kindest Lie, a heartrending novel about a mother and daughter each seeking justice and following their dreams in 1960s Nashville and 1990s Chicago.

Two women. Two pivotal moments. One dream for justice and equality.

In the fall of 1959, Freda Gilroy arrives on the campus of Fisk University full of hope, carrying a suitcase and the voice of her father telling her she’s part of a family legacy of Black excellence. Soon, the ugliness of the Jim Crow South intrudes, and Freda, reluctant to get involved, is torn between a soon-to-be doctor and an audacious young activist. Freda must decide how much she’s willing to risk in the name of justice.

In 1992 Chicago, Freda’s daughter, Tulip, is an ambitious PR professional on track for an exciting career, if workplace politics and racial microaggressions don’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’s quest for equality.

Insightful, evocative, and richly imagined with historical details,People of Means is an emotional tour de force about the lasting legacy of family bonds and the far-reaching ways the past shapes our present.

"People of Means left me breathless! A beautifully crafted story...profound and sharp."—Sadeqa Johnson New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve

A Time Capsule of Fisk-Meharry and Civil Rights

A powerful story that uncovered my Fisk-Meharry neighborhood like a time capsule. The generational perspectives on civil rights activism through the mother-daughter lens were fascinating, and the elegantly crafted storytelling of this book made me a fan of historical fiction.

Get it

Such a good, sad, heartbreaking story. I loved it and would recommend to anyone. Listen to it straight from beginning to end.

Phenomenal Must Read

I absolutely loved People of Means by Nancy Johnson. It’s one of those books that pulls you in and stays with you long after you finish the last page. The story beautifully weaves together real history from the 1960s Civil Rights era and the 1990s through a powerful mother-daughter journey. I appreciated how thoughtfully the author explored race, privilege, identity, and the choices people make when faced with difficult truths. The characters felt real, the historical details were fascinating, and the story was both emotional and thought-provoking. This was an incredible read that reminded me how powerful historical fiction can be when it’s done this well.

What a beautiful piece of life

I absolutely loved this book, I was faced, when reading it with my own choices, as a generation of the character, Tulip, I realized at the end, when faced with her previous choices how my parents must’ve felt when I made a different choice not to walk in a straight line and how that must’ve affected them, products of the civil rights movement, this book has so much to offer so much insight, so much personality so much, life

Excellent

Excellent story that weaves in civil rights history! Engaging! Great characters! I loved it! A must read!