everyman

''everyman is the rare twenty-first-century novel that feels like Morrison and Walker guided the hand of the characters, and the writer, calling it home. M Shelly Conner writes as if all of our lives depend on her art. After reading everyman, I'm convinced she's right.'' —Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy: An American Memoir

''Conner's inviting debut unearths a young Black woman’s family history...Conner weaves plenty of details of African American history throughout, such as the founding of the Tuskegee Institute and Martin Luther King Jr.'s alliance with a Chicago street gang, seamlessly connecting these events to the characters' lives. Overall, this wonderfully evokes a sense of place, and a palpable curiosity about the past.'' —Publishers Weekly

''In this lilting and lyrical epic, readers follow the meandering ancestry of twenty-two-year-old Every Mann, known as Eve, as she searches for answers and meaning in her genealogy...everyman is a gorgeous, multigenerational examination of the Great Migration and the ripple effects of mysteries that were left in its wake for the descendants of those who sought 'the warmth of other suns.''' —Booklist

''History comes alive through M Shelly Conner's richly imagined settings and characters. I was hooked by the complex web of secrets that unfold in unexpected ways.'' —Maisy Card, author of These Ghosts Are Family

''M Shelly Conner has a literary masterpiece in everyman. The unflinching dialogue and masterfully crisp prose gripped me from the beginning. Conner's command of history and language is on full display! everyman is a story for everyone. This book shows you the knowledge of your past can break your heart, set you free or very likely both.'' —Catherine Adel West, author of SheReads 2020 Book of the Year, Saving Ruby King

''History owns every page of this beautifully intimate novel, residing as willfully as the fictional world Conner creates. With writing that is both smart and unapologetically edifying, Conner depicts a human experience with totality that is strikingly small, made so by the binds that tie us in our infinite search for understanding. A powerful read.'' —Edward A. Farmer, author of Pale: A Novel

''everyman by M Shelly Conner is a mural, a bold and colorful exploration of personal and communal history. At its core, the work is a bountiful examination of Black life before and after the Great Migration, deeply researched and carefully rendered, the narratives inform and intersect, challenge and comfort; fueled by intellectual inquiry and steeped in history, this book is personal and political, an unapologetic engagement of the heart and the mind. With this novel, Conner invites us to explore the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, where we came from, and how we define home.'' —Sheree L. Greer, author of A Return to Arms