(She’s) A Woman of Substance

About the Book

It was a different day, a different time, and a different era when Verner Reid entered the world inside a one-room shack with a dirt floor as the sun welcomed her through a rag-covered hole. Born into a tiny Negro community in the heart of the Delta, Verner grew up idolizing Eartha Kitt, struggling to endure poverty, and learning to rely on her intuition to survive. In a heartbreaking yet inspirational memoir, Verner leads others through the journey of her life as she moved to Chicago as part of the Great Migration and overcame childhood sexual trauma, an abusive marriage, and a rape to courageously carve her own path in television as a talk show host and later complete her education as a nontraditional student. As she reveals a glimpse into the betrayals, treachery, unfaithfulness, bigotry, and discrimination she endured while pursuing her passion, Verner shines a light on her determination to be a woman of substance, despite her personal challenges. (She’s) A Woman of Substance shares the true story of one woman’s experiences as she navigated from a poverty-stricken childhood in the rural South to pursue her dreams.

About the Author

Verner Reid earned a BA from National-Louis University and a master’s degree in communications and training from Governor’s State University. She is retired from a career in television and a role as professor of evidence-based reading and GED at Malcolm X College of Chicago. Verner currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.