The Price We Pay: Teenager’s Story Underscores Systemic Impact of Racial Prejudice

Chicago, June 27, 2023 — Author Nikki T. Anthony invites readers into the world and mind of a modern-day Black teenager in her new book, The Price We Pay — the title a nod to the widespread impact of racial prejudice on communities, businesses, schools, families and even churches. 

“The Price We Pay isn’t just a book. It’s a movement to get hard conversations started,” Anthony said. “When difficult conversations become productive, they improve relationships.”

The story centers on Zenetta Henchman, a teenage girl with a rebellious streak who is navigating strained relationships with her parents, difficult interactions with her teachers and complicated feelings about her faith. In the backdrop is a community facing a growing racial divide due to unresolved and unaddressed past injustices. 

All of this compounds to give Zenetta a “one life to live and a nothing else to lose” attitude. She speaks more than she listens and refuses to take orders quietly. But when she witnesses a fatal incident that rocks and divides her community, Zenetta falls silent, and she and those closest to her suffer the consequences of her inaction. 

What follows are a string of deliberate attacks against Zenetta and the people she cares about, especially Tootsie, the free-spirited, colorful personality that paints a different picture of the world in Zenetta’s eyes. Tribal tensions flare, sparking an all-out explosion after Zenetta’s father, the only Black officer on the force, chooses the wrong side of the law when the community, but more importantly when Zenetta, needs him most. It’s not long after her father’s betrayal that Zenetta discovers there is always a price to be paid when those who could speak up choose to remain silent. 

The Price We Pay weaves real-world issues surrounding racial prejudice with the emotional drama, trauma and tension that conflicts — and often torments — Zenetta, giving rise to a story that Anthony hopes will leave readers asking themselves what price they are willing to pay for silence … or for speaking up.
“When people can't talk to one another, they talk about each other. That's when misunderstandings grow as trust diminishes and suspicions increase,” Anthony added.  “We want to open the door to mature discussion by allowing people from all walks of life to use The Price We Pay as a starting point for healthy conversations around racial issues that can produce real change.”

Advance Praise for The Price We Pay
“The To Kill a Mockingbird of the 21st Century — but from a Black perspective.” 
—    Ned Barnett, CEO of Barnett Marketing Communications 

“I haven’t read a book that intertwined history, fact, and fiction so prolifically since BeBe Moore Campbell’s What You Owe Me, or a main character so young but beyond her years in enthralling experiences since Sister Souljah’s The Coldest Winter Ever.”
—     National Bestselling Author E. N. Joy 

“This book not only told a personal story, but it also told a realistic one that we as African Americans are living through today.” 
-- BETA Reviewer 

About the Author
Nikki T. Anthony is a multi-faceted author and serial entrepreneur who transformed from corporate technical writer, to highly sought after ghostwriter, literary consultant and content developer. Her writings are best known for epic plot twists, enthralling language and richly detailed African American characters. 

For more information, please visit www.iamnikkitanthony.com, or follow her on Facebook and Instagram at Nikki T. Anthony.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Price-We-Pay-Nikki-Anthony/dp/1636270018/ 

The Price We Pay