People of Means

(Run Time: approx. 12.25 hours)

One of People magazine's most anticipated books!

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.

Nancy Johnson (Author) A native of Chicago’s South Side, Johnson worked for more than a decade as an Emmy-nominated, award-winning television journalist at CBS and ABC affiliates in markets nationwide. Nancy’s second novel, People of Means, a story of race, class, and resistance in 1960s Nashville and 1992 Chicago, released earlier this year from William Morrow/HarperCollins. People Magazine named it one of its most anticipated books for 2025, calling it “beautifully crafted” and “propulsive.” People of Means has also been featured as one of the best books of 2025 by Woman’s World, Real Simple, and Southern Living magazines.

Nancy’s debut novel, The Kindest Lie, was reviewed by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, and was highlighted on Entertainment Weekly’s Must List. Her first novel was a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection and was named one of the most anticipated books of 2021 by Newsweek, O, the Oprah Magazine, Shondaland, NBC News, Marie Claire, Elle, The Chicago Tribune, Good Housekeeping, Parade, Refinery29, and more.

A graduate of Northwestern University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Nancy lives in downtown Chicago where she’s a director of brand journalism and storytelling for a large health care nonprofit.

Bahni Turpin (Narrator) is a Los Angeles based actress and activist with many television, stage and film credits. She is an ensemble member of Cornerstone Theater Company, in addition to being the Founder and lead organizer of SoLA Food Co-op, an emerging grocery cooperative in South Los Angeles.