"Next time you feel a whiny mood coming on-politics is corrupt, the schools suck, everything's going to hell in a handbasket and I don't feel so hot, either-skip the Prozac and go instead for a dose of Nellie Stone Johnson. Ninety-five years old and getting sharper every day, Nellie doesn't so much restore your faith in humanity as she demands it. . . . This African-American/Ojibway/German/French hotel worker/seamstress/labor-movement matriarch, this farm kid from Pine County who taught Hubert H. Humphrey about civil rights, this hell-raiser since the Roosevelt administration can tell you a couple of things about what makes a difference. You may not get a chance to see her live . . . so grab a copy of her autobiography. . . . And then quit whining and do something."-City Pages
"Johnson's charm and wit in recounting little-known aspects of American civil rights activism will hold readers' attention from the first page through the last."-Washington Post Book World
"A fascinating look into the life of a powerful, energetic woman."-Booklist
"Brauer skillfully conveys the story of an inspiring and noble woman . . . who has made every minute of her life count."-Publishers Weekly
Nellie Stone Johnson currently lives in Minneapolis. She maintained her own business as a seamstress until her early 90s, and continues to be active in politics as a life member of the NAACP and the National Council for Negro Women. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Urban League's Cecil E. Newman Humanitarian Award, and holds an honorary degree from St. Cloud State University.
David Brauer is a freelance writer and the Minnesota correspondent for Newsweek and the Chicago Tribune. An award-winning journalist, he is a contributing editor for Mpls.St.Paul magazine.
Nellie Stone Johnson currently lives in Minneapolis and continues to be active in politics as a life member of the NAACP and the National Council for Negro Women. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Urban League's Cecil E. Newman Humanitarian Award.
David Brauer is a freelance writer and the Minnesota correspondent for Newsweek and the Chicago Tribune, as well as a contributing editor for Mpls.St.Paul magazine.
