everyman
a novel

Quotes

“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

“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

“everyman is a vivid and winding tale of self-discovery that I was quite happy to trail along after. With a cast of fascinating characters, each one lovingly drawn, Conner’s debut is captivating, smart, and beautifully written.” Sharon Lynn Fisher, award-winning author of The Absinthe Earl

“everyman is utterly compelling. It’s a deep exploration into who we are in the fabric of our souls and the deep and complex power of womanhood; what makes us, what we need to know about who we are, and when we can and should just accept with love and without condition, not only those closest to us, but ourselves.” Natasha Boyd, author of The Indigo Girl

“M Shelly Conner’s everyman unwinds a history that is by turns literary and intimate. That indelible past is written in the lives Conner brings to life in these pages. A generational saga recalling books like Isabelle Allende’s House of Spirits, everyman follows one woman’s journey to find where she comes from and how distant, unseen roots shape us.” David R. Slayton, author of the Adam Binder novels

“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

“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

“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

“A literary masterpiece…The unflinching dialogue and masterfully crisp prose gripped me from the beginning…everyman is a story for everyone.” Catherine Adel West, author of Saving Ruby King, SheReads 2020 Book of the Year

“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.” Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy: An American Memoir

Awards

• Travel+Leisure Magazine Pick
• SheKnows Pick
• Parade Magazine Pick
• BuzzFeed Books Pick
• Frolic Pick
• Ms. Magazine Pick
• Women.com
• LGBTQ Reads
• The Hivery
• BitchReads Pick
• SheReads.com Pick
• Goodreads Pick
• Bustle Pick
• Hollywood Reporter Pick
• GO Mag
• Nautilus Book Award