Set in the African-American community of East Liberty during one fateful week in the early fall of 1998, the novel centers around Chris "Crest" Tolbert -- an eighteen-year-old left paralyzed and haunted by the loss of his best friend after a recent accident -- and weaves together the lives of friends and family, lovers and strangers, and their emotions, memories, and dreams. There is Vanessa, Crest's estranged girlfriend and the mother of his son, who finds her life at a crossroads as she comes to terms with her former boyfriend's injuries, while her view of the world is being transformed by a night class on African-American culture. There is Crest's brother Eugene, nicknamed "U", an ex-con turned born-again Christian who is trying to stay straight while intervening to prevent the endless cycle of urban violence from claiming the life of the younger brother of one of his best friends, a victim of drugs. And there is Crest and U's father, Harold, who must choose between the passion of his newfound love for a young gay man and a family that needs him now more than ever.

Vibrant, poignant, and brilliantly rendered, Everyday People is an unforgettable novel destined to be beloved by readers and acclaimed by critics.