Michele Norris

Praise

“The Grace of Silence is an insightful, elegant rendering of how the history of an American family illuminates the history of our country.” –Toni Morrison
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Family

My parents were postal workers who took pride in simple things. Their home. Their garden. The sunny optimism they passed on to their children. I thought I knew my parents so well. I was wrong.
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Secrets

I set out to write a book exploring America’s hidden conversation about race but changed course when I started listening to the hidden conversation in my own family. I was shocked to learn that my father was shot in the leg by White policers in Birmingham, Alabama after returning from WWII.
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Silence

But my mother also had a secret. She never spoke about the years her mother worked as an itinerant Aunt Jemima, traveling to small towns conducting pancake demonstrations, dressed in a hoop skirt and apron with a bandana on her head…..

Silence, I learned, had its rewards….and its costs.
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The Conversation

Norris discovers family secrets because elders in her family started divulging stories in the wake of Barack Obama’s election, what were conversations about race like during the 2008 election?
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Excerpt

My father was one of those people who are most comfort able at the fringes, away from the action center stage. He did not need or crave attention. Instead, he was driven by the need to reassure others that everything was going to be all right. Belvin Norris Jr. was a fixer. An eternal optimist to the core. You could see it in his smile.
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The Race Card

Michele Norris started The Race Card Project in 2010 to foster a wider conversation about race among her readers. It has since grown into a rich and powerful archive. Thousands of people from all over the US and the world have submitted their candid thoughts on race in six-word essays. Read a selection and submit your own Race Card HERE……

Common Reads

The Grace of Silence is a great conversation starter. That is one reason the book has been adopted for Common Reads by schools, churches, reading circles and the One City – One Read program in Minneapolis.  If your group or book club is interested in a common read experience, Michele would love to hear from you.…

Resources

You can do more than just read The Grace of Silence.  You can use it as a teaching tool in the classroom. Click HERE to learn more about The Grace of Silence Teacher’s Guide, interactive classroom exercises & resource materials.…

Book Clubs

Bookclubs across America are reading The Grace of Silence.  Click here to view the reading guide, or contact us to request your Grace of Silence Book Club packet.…