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The Grace of Silence: A Memoir

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 940 ratings · 296 reviews

In the wake of talk of a “postracial” America upon Barack Obama’s ascension as president of the United States, Michele Norris, cohost of National Public Radio’s flagship program All Things Considered, set out to write, through original reporting, a book about “the hidden conversation” on race that is unfolding nationwide. She would, she thought, base her book on the frank...more

ebook, 304 pages

Published September 21st 2010 by Vintage

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Christian Science Monitor's Best Nonfiction Books of 2010

23rd out of 33 books — 54 voters

Extraordinary, Ordinary People by Condoleezza Rice

The Los Angeles Sentinel's 10 Best Black Nonfiction Books of 2010

2nd out of 10 books — 3 voters

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Feb 06, 2012 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A refreshingly candid story of an African American family in MN, their roots in America, and particular the father's experiences coming from Birmingham, AL. There are various contrasts interwoven throughout: north/south, black/white, diverse cultural values within both white and black communities. And the author tells her story with pacing and drama to keep it a story, and not simple a monologue. The reader feels like he knows what it is like to be Michelle Norris, to know her parents and their...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Sharon rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: first-reads, favorites, memoir, families

Wow. Every American should read this book. It's so much more than it appears to be on first look. The reader expects a family memoir, and that is provided along with crucial and little-known American history. This book contains so much elegant wisdom, eloquently told. Further, it asks us to do more, to be more, to understand more.

I've been listening to Michele Norris on NPR for years without knowing anything about her. You won't find much that's current about her and her work in this book, but...more

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Jun 09, 2011 K2 ----- rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed the pace of this book and the way she told her family's story about race in America. I do not know her work on NPR as I quit listening years ago, but she is a talented writer and skilled journalist.

As Obama rose to become the first African American president she began examining race in America in a new light and wanted to understand how it played a role in her own family's life. Her parents were both hard working postal workers who were proud and encouraged their daughters...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Sherry Quan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have been wanting to read THE GRACE OF SILENCE for some time having grown up in what I call South Scandinavian Minneapolis-a Black/Chinese girl passing for white. Although Michele Norris didn't delve into growing up in South Minneapolis as much as I was hoping, I wasn't disappointed.

She recorded history that made me realize there is so much I don't know. Her attention to detail has given me much to question-especially how different was it for my Chinese father, who also served in the Navy dur...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Nanette Bulebosh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Norris is about my age and, like me, grew up in the Midwest (her Minnesota to my Illinois) in a middle-class family. We're both also the youngest of three girls. Yet, in some ways, our childhoods couldn't be more different. Both my parents grew up in relative poverty and, from a young age, were well aware of the limitations of their class. But my dad never had to worry about being targeted for harassment by cops because of the color of his skin. He never had to suffer the indignity of being call...more Norris is about my age and, like me, grew up in the Midwest (her Minnesota to my Illinois) in a middle-class family. We're both also the youngest of three girls. Yet, in some ways, our childhoods couldn't be more different. Both my parents grew up in relative poverty and, from a young age, were well aware of the limitations of their class. But my dad never had to worry about being targeted for harassment by cops because of the color of his skin. He never had to suffer the indignity of being called "boy" after serving honorably in WWII. He wasn't automatically assigned to kitchen duty when he joined the Navy. And he never had to watch neighbors avoid meeting his eyes or place a "for sale" sign after he moved into an all-white residential district. I'm sure both my parents, now in their 80s, still carry secrets that, for whatever reason, they have chosen not to share with me. But, unlike those in Norris' family, none of our family's secrets, however painful, were ever even remotely tied to race.

Norris is a fine writer, and I came away from this memoir with a greater understanding of what it is like to grew up black. Far from an angry diatribe about the unfairness of discrimination, this book is, more than anything, a loving tribute to her late father, a postal worker. Despite the dignities mentioned above, Belvin Norris, remained an optimistic and proud man who passed on to his children hard-working ethics.

The title of this memoir is also a tribute - to her parents and the other adults of her childhood who kept silent about past indignities in part because they saw little use for sharing them with tne next generation, and in part because they had, wisely, long since forgiven the people behind those indignities.

Norris has made it clear, here and in interviews about the book, that it behooves us to seek out our elders' stories before they are gone forever. There is so much to learn from their challenges and the steps they took to meet them. But she also wants us to see her appreciation of and admiration for these people's decisions to keep their past hurts to themselves. Their silence is grace personified, and it should be acknowledged. She does that here admirably.(less)

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Jun 02, 2013 Barbara Buxton rated it 5 of 5 stars

A highly respected newswoman, Michele Norris, has written a wonderful tribute to her father. "The Grace of Silence" is about her discovery of the silent history of her father. What she found was a man who had endured the demeaning treatment of racism, yet had the grace to keep it secret from his family... it was his grace of silence. He maintained his dignity, not as a black man but as a man, period. In spite of his experience with racism, he maintained his own sense of humanity. He never lost h...more

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May 24, 2013 Martha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Michelle Norris, an NPR anchor, is a Robinson family friend. She lived one block up on Oakland, and the girls especially grew up playing with her. We gave this book to Ronel last Christmas, and Ronel visited with Michelle on a recent trip to D.C. The book was also chosen as last year’s “OneMinneapolis OneRead” program – so for all these reasons, I’ve been anxious to read it.

The book grew out of radio conversations about race that Michelle and another NPR reporter hosted in the leadup to Obama’s...more Michelle Norris, an NPR anchor, is a Robinson family friend. She lived one block up on Oakland, and the girls especially grew up playing with her. We gave this book to Ronel last Christmas, and Ronel visited with Michelle on a recent trip to D.C. The book was also chosen as last year’s “OneMinneapolis OneRead” program – so for all these reasons, I’ve been anxious to read it.

The book grew out of radio conversations about race that Michelle and another NPR reporter hosted in the leadup to Obama’s first election. I listened to several of these, and they were quite interesting. Michelle decided to try some conversations with her family, and was astonished to uncover some family secrets: one, her maternal grandmother had worked for General Mills in the 1050s, portraying Aunt Jemima up here in the Northwest states; two, her father had been shot by a Birmingham policeman when he was a newly returned WWII veteran. Michelle had known nothing about these two facts of her family, and proceeded to do research to uncover as much information as she could about both of these stories. That make up the majority of the book actually, including her little mini-history of discrimination in the South, especially following WWII.

The other main theme of the book is describing her own family, especially the fractured relationship of her mother and father. They separated when Michelle was young; the mother bought another house on Oakland, blocks away. The book opens with a rather harrowing anecdote about Michelle putting her very ill father on a plane from Chicago back to Minneapolis, and the driving down to see him, although by the time she got there he was already in a coma and she never was able to speak to him again. She loved both of her parents, although her mother was pretty distant, and the book seems like her way of coming to terms with her relationship with both of them.

There really wasn’t much about Michelle’s own history growing up in Minneapolis, which I think was kind of a disappointment to Ronel. There was really more journalistic reporting in this book than memoir, more cultural history than reflections on her own journey. I also thought it was a bit repetitive at times. But still, I’m glad I read it, and I think it makes a contribution to our ongoing exploration of race in our city and country.
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Feb 26, 2013 Britty rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is really lovely. I was lucky enough to win it over a year ago from GoodReads. It tells the story of an intelligent,strong willed American woman,who is pursuing the background untold history of her family. From the viewpoint of a young Black woman who has grown up and prospered in a nation where prejudices still lurk around every corner,she discovered things that would make most people angry and bitterly unforgiving in relation to what members of her family were put through. Yet she co...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Xong Yang rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Grace of Silence, by Michele Norris, is a book about the author's family secrets. It talks about the racism that was hidden years ago, as well. There were things that happened that shouldn't have. The book starts out with a story about her father, Belvin Norris, a man who put others before him. Belvin was shot before but never told his wife and daughters about it. He had a grace of silence. Michele's mother also had a grace of silence, she wouldn't speak to her daughters about her mother's (...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Sharla Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

I thought the book had very interesting parts to it as also some boring parts. Some interesting things that caught my attention was the relationships the writer, Michele Norris had with her family and how she just did not tell her life story but included theirs which in the end helped me get a better picture of her. I also was interested in the stories she wrote about that dealt with racism, it is such a huge thing that I believe still exists. I liked how she wrote about racism from different er...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Deb rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-group, mn-authors, memoir, non-fiction

Some parts, like the intro, were elegantly crafted and told an interesting story. I found the sections directly about Norris' dad the best. 4 stars in these parts.

Thought the book was thoroughly researched, the later sections did not have the "flow" of the personal ones. Norris tries to present both sides of the racism story - (eating the whole oreo cookie ;-) These sections were informative, but could veer towards preachy. 2 stars here.

I was not aware of the racism and violence displayed towa...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Huseng Yang rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book. I could really relate to this book. It was tough reading this book because it brought back memories of what my family experienced in the same city where this book took place. The Grace of Silence had painful secrets about her family that made her question her own understanding. On how her father’s shooting by a police officer from Birmingham just weeks after his discharge from the navy during World War ll. Her grandmother was a spokes-person for Aunt Jemima in the Mid...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Boye Ward added it

After I read the book, I thought it was a great book due to the fact that the writer did express her feelings and told a family's story that couldn' t have been told for years because her family were secret about their past life. Michelle Norris was opened to tell a story that can make any black family living in the U.S can relate to and be redefined of their heritage and knowing what our forefathers went through to get us to where we are today as a black family living in the United States and a...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Amber Baker added it · review of another edition

Overall I enjoyed the book. I had never read a book I could relate to so much before this one. Being from south Minneapolis and visiting family down south, I understood her stories all too well. I think this is a book that all races should read because it sheds light on the racism that occurred in the south and how blacks were treated.

Her journey to uncover the truth to secrets in her family makes you take a long look at your own family. Is there anything you ever were curious about? Would you...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Eem Ganv rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was not only heart felt, soul touched, but also something we all as people of color may relate to. We may have not been of dark skinned people but I know I can relate in many ways. I know because as I read each chapters flashbacks just seems to keep running through my mind as if it was I too, whom was telling the stories of my family’s secrets. And indeed is it the grace of silence within each and every one of us that has led us to differentiate discriminations among one as an individual than...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Roxanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought Grace of Silence was beautifully written. The author used the right amount of detail and pacing to keep the book moving and focused.

I enjoyed reading about the Norris family history. It was refreshing to read about those who were not in the civil rights spotlight.

Like almost all families, parents naturally shield their children from things the parents believe are better left unknown. My parents certainly did and I respected them for their decisions. At a certain time, it may be the bes...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Janice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reading The Grace of Silence started me thinking back on my childhood. I grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. When I started kindergarten at McKinley School in 1956, the Kansas City, KS public schools were already integrated. I rode public buses often. I shared seats with black passengers. I don't recall blacks sitting in the back of the bus. I don't recall blacks not shopping at Montgomery Ward or JC Penney or Katz Drug on Minnesota Avenue. I'm not saying they did or did not, I simply don't remember...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Marilyn rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone!

Shelves: first-reads

THE GRACE OF SILENCE
By Michele Norris
Publisher: Vintage Books, New York
Copyright by Michele Norris 2010
ISBN: 978-0-307-47527-5

Michele Norris writes from the heart. I was taken with her story from page one, where she describes her father, Belvin Norris as a “fixer.” A “fixer” of people is what she is describing him as. That was my father also. Although we are not African Americans, I saw so much of my father in hers. They were both special men who never complained, tried their hardest for their f...more THE GRACE OF SILENCE
By Michele Norris
Publisher: Vintage Books, New York
Copyright by Michele Norris 2010
ISBN: 978-0-307-47527-5

Michele Norris writes from the heart. I was taken with her story from page one, where she describes her father, Belvin Norris as a “fixer.” A “fixer” of people is what she is describing him as. That was my father also. Although we are not African Americans, I saw so much of my father in hers. They were both special men who never complained, tried their hardest for their family and loved with all their heart. Both were U.S. Postal Employees…her dad worked inside, mine outside. Both served proudly in World War II, although their experiences were totally different, my dad serving in Panama as a Staff Sgt. In the Army and hers as a cook aboard a ship in the Navy. Belvin Norris tried hard to be color blind in a society that would not allow it. My dad was luckier, he was able to be color blind. The difference being that Belvin Norris was an African American and my dad was not. Belvin Norris lived in the South until after the war when an incident happened to force him to move to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Grace of Silence is a beautifully written tribute to a man who was truly a “man.” It is a book that reminds people that there are lower class, middle class and upper class African Americans and that like in any other race, in any country, there are good people and bad, rich and poor, and average. This is a story of a child’s life learned from both her parents, but mostly from her father with whom she lived after her parents were divorced. This is a story of pride, tolerance and trying to live peacefully and co-exist in a “white world” not quite ready to allow people of color into their neighborhoods.

This book tells the story of family secrets and the inability of families of both races to talk about “the race issue.” There is no hatred, no hard feelings, and no “reverse predjudice” in this book. It is simply a family story with some American history thrown in.

This is a must read!!! I will look forward to reading any books by Michele Norris. I know her father is proud of her!

I won this First Reads Book from Goodread.com.
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Oct 02, 2011 Audrey rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't typically have many hours in my day to devote to reading, but I found this book MADE me find time. Ms. Norris does a great job of bringing to light the sacrifice of African-American military veterans, as well as the entire African-American community "then" and now. In the early part of the book, Ms. Norris focuses on her maternal grandmother's acting role - one that makes her family avoid talking about it. Most families have secrets. In the latter part of the book, her father's story ill...more

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Sep 17, 2011 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

In order to give a book a 5-star rating, I have to feel that reading it was a mind-expanding experience. This memoir was.

Michele Norris, co-host of NPR's All Things Considered, was inspired by the discussions of race relations that surrounded President Obama's election to delve into her own family history. The result is a family memoir, which chronicles the experiences and attitudes of her parents and grandparents and what they taught her -- and sometimes more importantly, what they chose not t...more In order to give a book a 5-star rating, I have to feel that reading it was a mind-expanding experience. This memoir was.

Michele Norris, co-host of NPR's All Things Considered, was inspired by the discussions of race relations that surrounded President Obama's election to delve into her own family history. The result is a family memoir, which chronicles the experiences and attitudes of her parents and grandparents and what they taught her -- and sometimes more importantly, what they chose not to tell her.

This memoir was well written and poignant. It also examines the different view points on race relations. I was impressed with how frank she was and also how balanced she was. She doesn't just tell the story of her father, recently returned from serving in the Navy during World War II to his home in Birmingham, Alabama, getting shot in the leg by a white police officer. She tries to find out what that police officer might have been thinking and feeling at the time. I was surprised, uncomfortable even, at how well she identifies the many faces of race relations - and felt that I gained some understanding through reading this book.

I won this book on Goodreads Firstreads.

Rated PG - the book is quite clean, but it does deal with historically uncomfortable - and sometimes violent - incidents.

==============
Some quotes from the book:

(pg xii) "Blacks and other people of color often seem to talk about race more openly, while many whites appear to yearn for a postracial world where such discussions are unnecessary."

(pg xv) "Our parents felt we needed to know only so much. No time for tears. No yearning for sympathy. You see, you can't keep your eye on the prize if your sight is clouded by tears. How can you soar if you're freighted down by the anger of your ancestors?"

(pg 7) "After spending a lifetime trying to be a model minority -- one of the few black men in his neighborhood, at his workplace, or on his daughters' school committees -- my father now sat facing the condemnation of the two blond scolds. They had apparently concluded he was an early morning lush instead of a gray-haired man fighting a losing battle with a devastating disease.
"Here is the conundrum of racism. You know it's there, but you can't prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, how it colors a particular situation. Those pink satin ladies were strangers to me, so I have no idea if they would have been as quick to judge a gray-haired white man with impaired speech. However, I do know this: the fact that they were white women added mightily to my father's humiliation. I knew my father felt the sting of their judgement. I knew it because he kept pushing up his cardigan sleeve and futzing with his wrist, as if he'd left home without his Timex. But it was not the wrist on which he wore his windup watch. It was the wrist where the plastic bracelet had been affixed at the hospital. His awkward gestures were a silent plea to the satin dolls to notice the hospital bracelet. My heart breaks every time I think of the look on his face that day.
"The jut of his chin showed indignation, but the sag of his shoulders and crease in his brow conveyed something different. Something hovering between anger and shame. There was also, however, a hint of grace. I see that now that I have come to understand my father better, as a man who was always in tight control of his emotions. I believe now that he was trying not just to salvage his dignity but also to absolve the two women from dishonor. A less controlled, more impulsive man might have responded by giving those women the finger to shut them up. My father drew strength from reaching past anger.
"The aphorism 'Kill them with kindness' might have been penned with a man like Belvin Norris Jr. in mind. By fiddling with his wrist he was saying 'If they only knew,' rather than 'Shame on you.'"(less)

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Apr 09, 2011 Jocie rated it 4 of 5 stars

‘The Wisdom of Love’ would be another appropriate title- her parents let go of bitterness and worked hard to show people they were intelligent, hard workers. I believe this allowed their children to move on from the atrocities of the past and become more fully integrated into their country.

This was a bit of a painful read- I was not aware of the extent of prejudice in our country. I was also surprised and hurt to find out that there are people who hate me because I am white.

This brought up some...more

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Jan 21, 2011 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Michele Norris, the cohost of NPR's All Things Considered, writes about the lack of honest conversation about race in the United States. Before interviewing others on the subject, she comes to realize that her own family had not been open on the subject. Norris discovered that her father had been shot by a white Birmingham police officer just a few weeks after his discharge from the Navy after serving in World War II. He never mentioned the episode to either his wife or his daughter, but shortly...more

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Dec 26, 2010 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book DOES read like a novel in many ways, as other reviewers have mentioned. I think what particularly appealed to me about this memoir was the many insights she offered about a significant era in our civil rights history, one that (as Ms. Norris observes) is often overlooked. The veterans of WWII DID set the stage for future successes and paid a painful price in the process. I love the family and history mix...It may not appeal as much to those who weren't a part of the sixties and the str...more

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Dec 09, 2010 Bookmarks Magazine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: jan-feb-2011

An absorbing, authoritative, and painfully honest "American saga" (Seattle Times), Norris's family history explores middle-class African Americans' pursuit of the American dream in the mid-20th century. Thanks to exceptional reporting skills and a sharp eye for detail, Norris brings these thoughtful, complex men and women poignantly to life as she chronicles an important chapter of American history -- the quiet, day-to-day lives of average citizens -- that is often overshadowed by the grand pers...more

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Nov 13, 2010 Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-audio-books, 2010-nonfiction

The Grace of Silence, by Michele Norris, narrated by the author, produced by Random Audio and downloaded from audible.com.

Michele Norris, one of the hosts of NPR’s “All Things Considered” began exploring, in the aftermath of Barack Obama being elected the first African-American president, whether or not this was a post-racial society. But as she interviewed more and more people, she began finding out her own family’s hidden secrets, including that her father, within days of returning home from W...more

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Oct 10, 2010 Terry rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book in a rush--skimmed it, really--when the person who was supposed to interview Michele Norris (National Public Radio, "All Things Considered") fell ill and I replaced her. It's not a great book, but Michele Norris is charming and articulate and I've been a fan for a long time. She was even better in person. The book is a memoir about her own family and the stories they never told her about their own experiences with race and racism in America--a silence she thinks common to famili...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Asha Omer rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the book Grace of Silence, the author Michele Norris writes about her family and their achievements and difficult times. In the books she talks a lot about her father because he was such a strong man. She talks about how her father tried his hardest to protect his family and how much he loved them. He served in World War II. She explains how hard it was for them to fit into society because they were African American. They lived in the South until her Father got in an accident which made them...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, goodreads-giveaways, memoir

Interesting memoir/racial relations commentary hybrid. It’s fascinating how (NPR host) Michele Norris weaves her quest to learn more about her parents’ past with the changing state of racial relations during her lifetime. This book is pretty short and the prose somewhat bland (clichés abound) but it is definitely a unique take on the topic, including some heretofore unknown pieces of American History, or at least unknown to me. Norris’s parents were amazing, not only in a general sense, but in c...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Lee Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, around-town-book-club, from-library, bio-memoir

Around the Town Bookclub for October. This was an insiteful look at Jim Crow laws in the south, survival and overcoming and/or dealing fears relating to life during this time. Servicemen returning from the war fighting for freedom in the world, were not given that freedom at home. The fight for equality before the MLK times and during and after. I am always fascinated by the idea that civil rights began with Martin Luther King and have always taught the tough fight before it became a part of the...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Nicholas rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autographed-books, interesting-lives

Insightful memoir weaves a narrative of the African American experience of the last 20/30 years that presents some stories that really leave you stunned. The stories related to Norris' own family are heartfelt but the one that made the most impression on me was that of Issac Woodard and his blinding at the hands of a Southern policeman. I love the details of Norris's writing. An example is when describing her search for the names of the officers involved in her father's arrest, she describes get...more

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About Michele Norris

Photo Credit: Mary Noble Ours

Michele Norris is one of the most trusted voices in American Journalism. Her voice informs, engages and enlightens listeners with thoughtful interviews and in depth reporting as one of the hosts of NPR’s flagship afternoon broadcast, All Things Considered. Michele uses an approachable interviewing style that is at once relaxed and rigorous. She’s interviewed world lead...more Photo Credit: Mary Noble Ours

Michele Norris is one of the most trusted voices in American Journalism. Her voice informs, engages and enlightens listeners with thoughtful interviews and in depth reporting as one of the hosts of NPR’s flagship afternoon broadcast, All Things Considered. Michele uses an approachable interviewing style that is at once relaxed and rigorous. She’s interviewed world leaders, nobel laureates, oscar winners, American Presidents, military leaders, influential newsmakers and even astronauts traveling in outer space.

In her first book she turns her formidable interviewing and investigative skills on her own background to unearth long hidden family secrets that raise questions about her racial legacy and shed new light on America’s complicated racial history.

Before joining NPR in 2002, Michele spent almost ten years as a reporter for ABC News in the Washington Bureau. She has also worked as a staff writer for the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.

Michele has received numerous awards for her work. In 2009, she was named “Journalist of the Year” by the National Association of Black Journalists. NABJ recognized Norris for her body of work, in addition to her coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign — when she co-hosted NPR’s Democratic presidential candidates debate, covered both conventions, anchored multi-hour election and inauguration live broadcasts and moderated a series of candid conversations with voters on the intersection of race and politics. That series earned Michele and Morning Edition Host Steve Inskeep an Alfred I. Dupont -Columbia University Award for excellence in broadcasting. A four-time Pulitzer Price entrant, Norris has also been honored with NABJ’s 2006 Salute to Excellence Award, for her coverage of Hurricane Katrina; the University of Minnesota’s Outstanding Achievement Award; and the 1990 Livingston Award for a series about a six-year-old who lived in a crack house. That series was reprinted in the book, Ourselves Among Others, along with essays by Vaclav Havel, Nelson Mandela, Annie Dillard and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. She was named one of Essence Magazine’s 25 Most Influential Black Americans in 2009; elected to Ebony Magazine’s Power 150 list in 2009; and honored with Ebony’s 8th Outstanding Women in Marketing & Communications Award, in 2007.

Norris also earned both an Emmy Award and Peabody Award for her contribution to ABC News’ coverage of 9/11. She is on the judging committee for both the John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism, and the Livingston Awards. Norris is also a frequent guest on Meet the Press and The Chris Matthews Show on NBC.

She attended the University of Wisconsin, where she majored in electrical engineering and graduated from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where she studied journalism. She lives in Washington D.C. with her husband Broderick Johnson, an attorney with their two young children and an adult step-son.

The Grace of Silence: A Memoir is Michele’s first book.(less)

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