“Before God can lift you up, He will first knock you down. Go through it, I have been there many times. The most interesting part is when you look back and see how far He has brought you, you can't afford not to get up and keep on moving.”

Patience Johnson is a British-American novelist and essayist. She blends sharp social observation with lyrical prose, exploring themes of identity, race, and belonging in works like *The Dead and the Dark* and *The Book of Form and Emptiness*. Her writing often examines the intersections of history and personal narrative with quiet intensity.