The Importance of Speaking Truth—with Adele Myers

Historical Fiction: Unpacked

Today's episode is a conversation with Adele Myers, author of The Tobacco Wives. We discuss the tobacco industry's deceitful ad campaign, along with Adele's family history, which inspired this novel. Adele Myers grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and has a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She currently works in advertising and lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, son and their rescue dog, Chipper. The Tobacco Wives is her first novel. Here's a description of the novel: “A sparkling debut” (Publishers Weekly) set in 1946 North Carolina that follows a young female seamstress who uncovers dangerous truths about the Big Tobacco empire ruling the American South. A fourth-generation native of North Carolina, Adele Myers has mined her own family history—including her grandmother’s experience as a private hairdresser for some of the richest women in tobacco country—in order to craft a story that re-imagines, from a feminist angle, one of the largest corporate frauds of the twentieth century. Shedding light on the hidden history of women’s activism during the post-war period, at its heart, The Tobacco Wives is a deeply human novel about the power of female connection and the importance of seeking truth. Purchase The Tobacco Wives on Amazon (affiliate). Purchase The Tobacco Wives on Bookshop (affiliate). Check out Adele's website, Facebook, and Instagram. Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!