People of Means
A Novel
Published on 12. March 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-0-06-315753-8 (ISBN)
Description
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 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
Reviews / Votes
"This dual-timeline story will get you thinking about the ebb and flow of out country's ongoing fight for racial justice." - Real Simple"If you're a fan of how Sadeqa Johnson weaves fictional storylines into real historical timelines, you'll very much appreciate Nancy Johnson's newest novel... It's a brilliant reminder you shouldn't assume you know another person's story, and you also don't know how your own story is meant to be written." - Southern Living
"An evocative story of love and sacrifice. This beautifully crafted, dual-timeline story follows a mother and daughter each seeking justice and following their dreams during pivotal moments of social reckoning - 1960s Nashville and 1992 Chicago. Even amidst deep struggles comes equally deep determination to achieve their versions of the American dream in this propulsive novel of indomitable women." - People
"[P]owerful...Each of the main characters are sympathetic, even as they make choices that lead to pain for others. Johnson doesn't flinch from the terror young activists experienced in the Civil Rights era, and by exploring the parallels ... 30 years later, Johnson emphasizes that while some things change, racism stays the same. A heart-wrenching story of love, family, racism, and resistance across decades." - Kirkus Reviews
"In our current political moment, People of Means feels vital." - BookPage
"A thrilling literary journey about a mother and daughter seeking justice and following their dreams in 1960s Nashville and 1990s Chicago. This time-spanning trip follows two unforgettable women who face the ugliness of racism and injustice to forge a new path forward for themselves and their family. Johnson's writing is consistently compelling, and People of Means follows this trend-get comfortable, because you're sure to fly through it once you start reading." - Chicago Review of Books
"Through her richly drawn characters, Johnson illustrates the effects of class, race, and family and the lasting consequences of our decisions." - Booklist
"A powerful, thought-provoking saga." - Woman's World
"Nancy Johnson's People of Means spins a compelling narrative that explores the courage of a Black mother and daughter as they navigate the tumultuous waters of societal change. Beautifully written, propulsive and poignant, this novel is a meditation on love and resilience. I loved this gorgeous book!" - Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee and The Leftover Woman
"People of Means left me breathless! A beautifully crafted story rife with struggle, intrigue, and the sheer determination to achieve and hold on to the American dream with poise and dignity. Nancy Johnson has a knack for layering the complexities of class and culture while shining a light on a little piece of history with sound details, vivid imagery and the indomitable spirit of women strong enough to answer a higher calling even when it means risking it all. Profound and sharp, this sophomore novel is a delight." - Sadeqa Johnson New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve
"Johnson doesn't shy away from the complex and conflicting emotions and consequences that both characters face as they decide to take a stand, and in this way, she speaks for all those who have ever faced a decision about how far to go in the name of what's right. A memorable story of mothers and daughters, family dynamics, the complicated meaning of success, the pull of love, and the fight for racial equality, People of Means is a timely look at who we are as a nation-and who we can become, if only we have the courage to follow our hearts." - Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter
"Nancy Johnson's poignant story of a mother and daughter, who, in their youths, are reluctantly pulled into the struggle for equal rights and equitable justice, asks hard but necessary questions about whether and how each of us should take action to right the wrongs. People of Means brings a compassionate, fresh, nuanced, and important perspective to fiction that centers the Black American experience. I hope book clubs will embrace this worthy tale!" - Therese Anne Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of A Good Neighborhood
"This novel is a shimmering, heartrending ode to the indelible force of legacy; how the echoes of resilience, triumph and love resound through and across generations. In these pages, Nancy Johnson has accomplished that elusive feat of creating a story that is at once timeless and incredibly timely." - Christine Pride, co-author of We Are Not Like Them
"[A]n illuminating multigenerational drama of a Black mother and daughter finding their way amid America's racial inequities. It's a satisfying tale of intergenerational reckoning." - Publishers Weekly
"[A] triumph, a deeply affecting work of truth and reconciliation over what it means to live the American Dream--and not just for the winners." - Los Angeles Times on The Kindest Lie
"Powerful insights emerge on the plurality of Black American experience and the divisions between rural and urban life, and the wealthy and the working class. Johnson's clear-eyed saga hits hard." - Publishers Weekly, starred review, on The Kindest Lie
"A heart-wrenching story of family, racism, poverty, and love." - Good Housekeeping on The Kindest Lie
"Hope and change upend quickly in Johnson's timely, heartwarming debut." - O Magazine on The Kindest Lie
"Similar to The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, The Kindest Lie is an engrossing story about race, class, and coming to grips with your past... The Kindest Lie will not only pull at your heartstrings, but it will also make you want to call your family, fight racial injustice, and hold on tighter to those you love. With every page you turn, you'll see just how powerful unconditional love really is." - Popsugar
?"It takes tremendous talent to seamlessly combine social commentary with a powder keg of a plot, and Nancy Johnson accomplishes just that in her gripping debut novel, The Kindest Lie, addressing issues of race, class, privilege and upward mobility.... A fictional callback to Isabel Wilkerson's Caste, The Kindest Lie also brings to mind Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half, in which another young Black woman returns to her hometown to try to reconcile her past, present and future. Don't miss this powerful debut." - Bookpage, starred review
"Johnson's rich examinations of ambiguities in this moral dilemma take center stage, but institutional racism and its constant, draining impact are the boards these players stand on. And can't escape...The Kindest Lie is an easy, accessible novel filled with hard, important truths." - New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice
"The Kindest Lie is a layered, complex exploration of race and class.... Johnson is particularly adept at drawing the dividing lines between African Americans and working-class Whites, while at the same time illuminating the things they share... It is a tale of how lies and omissions can shape and warp us. It is a story about reconciliation, set against a backdrop of racism and resentments. But more than anything, it is a meditation on family and forgiveness." - Washington Post
"A fantastic story of a marriage and what happens when one spouse secretly had a child prior to knowing the other.... This modern-day depiction of a woman in crisis and what she discovers about what she left behind is well-written, timely, and oh-so-memorable." - Good Morning America on The Kindest Lie
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 217 mm
Width: 120 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
281 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-06-315753-8 (9780063157538)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
A native of Chicago's South Side, Nancy Johnson worked for more than a decade as an Emmy-nominated, award-winning television journalist at CBS and ABC affiliates nationwide. A graduate of Northwestern University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she lives in downtown Chicago and manages brand communications for a large nonprofit. Her first book, The Kindest Lie, was a Book of the Month Club selection and a Target Book Club pick.