Penguin Random House, author portrait placeholder image

Kim Johnson

Kim Johnson held leadership positions in social justice organizations as a teen and in college, and is now an author and educator. Kim's bestselling novel, This Is My America, won numerous accolades, including the Pacific Northwest Book Award and Malka Penn Human Rights Award for Children's Literature. Her second novel, Invisible Son, is another thriller ripped from the headlines. Both novels were selected as NPR Best Books. The Color of a Lie is her first historical thriller.

She holds degrees from the University of Oregon, University of Maryland, College Park, and an MFA from Oregon State University Cascades. She lives with her family in the Washington DC area. Find her at KCJOHNSONWRITES.COM and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @kcjohnsonwrites.
This Is My America

Books

This Is My America

2025 Catalog for First-Year & Common Reading

We are delighted to present our new First-Year & Common Reading Catalog for 2025! From award-winning fiction, poetry, memoir, and biography to new books about science, technology, history, student success, the environment, public health, and current events, the titles presented in our common reading catalog will have students not only eagerly flipping through the pages,

Read more

Videos from the 2024 First-Year Experience® Conference are now available

We’re pleased to share videos from the 2024 First-Year Experience® Conference. Whether you weren’t able to join us at the conference or would simply like to hear the talks again, please take a moment to view the clips below.   Penguin Random House Author Breakfast Monday, February 19th, 7:15 – 8:45 am PST This event

Read more

Videos from the 2021 First-Year Experience® Conference are now available

We’re pleased to share videos from the 2021 First-Year Experience® Conference. Whether you weren’t able to join us at the conference or would simply like to hear the talks again, please take a moment to view the clips below.   Penguin Random House Monday Event Monday, February 15, 2021 | 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Read more

Register for the 2021 Penguin Random House First-Year Experience® Conference Virtual Author Events!

Penguin Random House Author Events at the 40th Annual First-Year Experience® Conference February 15-19, 2021 Click Here to RSVP PRH virtual events are open only to registered FYE® conference attendees. To register for the conference, click here. Once registered for the conference, be sure to sign up for each event that you plan to attend in advance to receive login

Read more