Ann Petry
Ann Petry was an American author born in 1908 who became the first black woman writer to sell over a million copies of a novel with "The Street" in 1946.
Initially trained as a pharmacist, she transitioned to writing after moving to New York and experiencing life in Harlem.
Her work was influenced by her observations of poverty and racial inequality.
Petry wrote several novels, including "Country Place" and "The Narrows," as well as children's books.
She lived most of her life in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, where she drew inspiration for her writing.
Petry passed away in 1997 at the age of 88.
