BOOK CLUB SELECTION GUIDE
Give Your Book Club a Story They Won't Stop Talking About
Step inside the untold, vibrant life of Kermit B. Hill—Pentagon wartime insider, Lindy Hop dancer, and pioneering mid-century Black entrepreneur who founded the Tiny Tot Nursery School of St. Louis in 1951 to teach young children to stand tall with dignity and poise.
Book Club Host Sample Discussion Starters
Questions designed to spark deep debate and keep conversations flowing effortlessly.
1. WARTIME SECRETS & AUTONOMY
How did Kermit's confidential logistics role at the WWII
Pentagon build the personal independence and resolve
needed to launch a solo enterprise in segregated 1950s St.
Louis?
2. DIGNITY THROUGH PERFORMANCE
Kermit dressed preschoolers in tuxedos and tiaras for formal
pageants and Tom Thumb weddings. In what ways was this
creative pageantry a radical act of cultural affirmation and
pride during the Jim Crow era?
3. LOVE & SEPARATION
How do the 80 preserved wartime love letters between
Kermit and Augustus shift the book from a standard business
biography into an intimate, vulnerable human portrait?
4. LEGACY PRESERVATION
Francene Hill grew up inside the nursery school and
conducted extensive archival restoration. How does her
daughter-archivist perspective shape the authenticity and
emotional depth of the narrative?
Schedule Author Visit with Francene M. D. Hill
Would your group like to elevate the conversation with Francene?
Would your group like to elevate the conversation with Francene?
Would your group like to elevate the conversation with Francene?
- Francene is available, as schedule permits, for book-club conversations, author panels, speaking engagements, and community events.
- Select Tiny Tots in Tiaras and Tuxedos for a group of 10 or more, and request a live 20-minute Zoom Q&A with author Francene Mary Diane Hill to explore primary archives and behind-the-scenes research.
Book Ordering Options
Would your group like to elevate the conversation with Francene?
Would your group like to elevate the conversation with Francene?
- Amazon Prime 2-day delivery
- Barnes & Noble Bookstores
- Bookshop.org Independent Bookstore
- Also wherever books are sold
- Volume discounts for reading groups ordering 10+ copies.