A smiling woman with curly blonde hair wearing a silver necklace is in front of a large bookshelf filled with various books.
Book cover titled 'Down on James Street' featuring an illustration of a joyful Black woman in a yellow dress and an animated man in a blue shirt, set against a pink background.
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Nicole McCandless

  • “I was raised b a few hard-working, fiery women. They passed down a love of reading and gave me the confidence to put words on the page.

    I’ve had many different jobs, including grocery store clerk, hostess, retail cashier, waitress, and labor organizer.

    I recently dove into a life of writing and raising up two humans.

    I love reading by myself in bed and with my kids on the floor. Other things I love include Ben, our sisters, being outside, dancing, singing, snacks, the changing of seasons, and sending people I love things in the mail.”

    Nicole McCandless 

  • The moon lit the riverbank as George and Dorothy each made their way to the teen dance hall. It’s 1935, and sons and daughters of black and white workers in Pittsburgh look forward to having some fun dancing the Lindy Hop, until the police come in and break up the dance…with their bully clubs.

    Inter-racial dances are illegal in Pittsburgh in 1935.

    The teens all scatter, but Dorothy has a plan to save the dance. Is George ready to join the fight? Or will he play it safe and just go home to his family?

    Down on James Street is based on a real historical incident in 1930’s Pittsburgh. Today, young and old can take inspiration from this wonderful story of courage and solidarity, with gorgeous illustrations by Byron Gramby that summon up the style and the cool of that long-gone goes here