Kelly Johnson talked about the book she edited, A Better Man: True American Heroes Speak to Young Men on Love, Power, Pride and What it Really Means to Be a Man (Brandylane Publishers, Inc.; First edition (June 1, 2009). The book is a collection of interviews and essays from prominent men in various fields, who are considered role models by many. The messages are designed to be guidance to young men on how to become a responsible, respectable man. Contributors to the book include President George H.W. Bush, NBA stars Ray Allen and Dominique Wilkins, and civil rights leader Andrew Young. Ms. Johnson talked about how the models that boys are exposed to in the current culture are not mature adults and emphasize physical appeal, material wealth, and celebrity status. Contributors to the book, former Virginia Governor Doug Wilder, actor Tim Reid, retired Admiral Leighton Smith, Vietnam POW Paul Galanti, and poet Tim Seibles, talked about their personal stories and why they participated in the project. Then they responded to questions from members of the audience in the Upper School Chapel of St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, Virginia.

Ms. Johnson is an attorney, writer, and mother who has written for national parenting magazines. Her work also appears in the compilations, The Imperfect Mom - Candid Confessions of Mothers Living in the Real World; It’s a Girl - Women Writers on Raising Daughters; and Love Wins.