Through politics, fiction and her latest novel, Stacey Abrams aims to inspire action

Summary

Podcast Summary: NPR's Book of the Day – "Through Politics, Fiction and Her Latest Novel, Stacey Abrams Aims to Inspire Action"

Episode Overview Released on July 28, 2025, this episode of NPR's Book of the Day features an in-depth conversation with Stacey Abrams, author of her latest thriller, Coded Justice. Hosted by Michelle Martin, the episode delves into Abrams' dual roles as a political activist and a fiction writer, exploring how her work bridges the gap between engaging storytelling and social justice advocacy.

Introduction to Coded Justice The episode opens with Andrew Limbong introducing Stacey Abrams and her new novel, Coded Justice, the latest installment in the Avery Keene series. Abrams is described as a multifaceted figure known both for her political activism in voting rights and her contributions to the fiction genre.

Engaging with Complex Issues Through Fiction Abrams discusses how her fiction writing complements her activism. She explains that both endeavors aim to engage people, fostering a sense of ownership and motivating action in societal issues.

“I try to take these complex real-world conversations and bring them into a space where I can terrify you. I can make you hopeful, but at the end of the day, you feel more ownership over your opportunity to do something about it.”
— Stacey Abrams [03:37]

Premise of Coded Justice Michelle Martin prompts Abrams to elaborate on the premise of Coded Justice. Abrams outlines that the protagonist, Avery Keene, transitions from a Supreme Court clerk to an investigative attorney who navigates the perilous intersections of artificial intelligence and healthcare.

“She's prepared for boredom, and that is not what she gets.”
— Stacey Abrams [02:12]

The novel explores how AI can be both beneficial and potentially abused within the healthcare sector, intertwining social justice themes with a gripping thriller narrative.

Incorporating AI and Healthcare into Storytelling Martin inquires about Abrams' inspiration for integrating artificial intelligence and healthcare into her novel. Abrams reveals that each of her novels starts with a pressing question.

“This one really was a combination of, how does AI work in our world? Why are we so bad at healthcare? And as we think about the intersection, I wanted to think about social justice issues.”
— Stacey Abrams [03:11]

She emphasizes her commitment to making complex topics accessible and empowering listeners to understand and influence these critical areas.

Political Activism and Recent Challenges Transitioning from her literary work, the conversation shifts to Abrams' political activism. Martin references the recent ethics investigation by Georgia's Republican-dominated state Senate into the New Georgia Project, a voter registration organization Abrams co-founded.

“The attacks that we're seeing are not grounded in any actual harm. It's that they're angry because I continue to do the work even without a title. And instead of matching that energy, they've chosen to launch attacks.”
— Stacey Abrams [04:51]

Abrams clarifies her limited involvement with the organization's leadership since 2017 and frames the GOP's actions as a broader assault on voting rights advocacy rather than a direct threat to the organization's operations.

Role and Identity: Balancing Activism and Writing Martin probes Abrams on her current role and how she perceives her identity amidst her various pursuits. Abrams describes herself as someone who strives to engage people through multiple platforms:

“Stacey Abrams does her best to engage people. So I have a podcast. I have a substack. I write fiction. I was recently doing an interview where I talk about how to understand this political moment in terms of the rise of autocracy. My job is to help people believe that they have the power of citizenship and that they have the right to make this country what they believe it should be.”
— Stacey Abrams [05:42]

She underscores the importance of citizenship and active participation in shaping the nation's future.

Potential Return to Electoral Politics When asked about the possibility of returning to electoral politics, Abrams remains open-ended:

“It's entirely possible. I mean, look, politics is a tool, and it's a tool that I have used before. It's a tool that I think is important, and I have used it in my world to help fight back.”
— Stacey Abrams [06:12]

She emphasizes her focus on strategic activism, utilizing various methods to effect change rather than committing to a specific role.

Diversity in Writing Genres: From Romance to Thrillers Martin touches upon Abrams' diverse writing portfolio, including romance novels, and questions whether Abrams has faced criticism for writing in genres some might consider less serious.

“I've written 17 books. My first eight were romance, and I used a pseudonym in part because I was also publishing articles on the operational dissonance of the income tax exemption.”
— Stacey Abrams [07:08]

Abrams defends her choice to write across genres, viewing each as a tool to foster positive change and engage different audiences. She rejects the notion that any form of storytelling is less valuable, championing the power of narrative in activism.

Conclusion The episode wraps up with a reminder of Abrams' latest book release, Coded Justice, and concludes with Abrams reiterating her appreciation for the opportunity to discuss her work.

Final Thoughts Stacey Abrams exemplifies the synergy between political activism and creative writing, using her platform to address and educate on pivotal societal issues. Through Coded Justice, she not only entertains but also invites readers to ponder the ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence and healthcare, all while empowering them to take meaningful action.

Transcript

[Andrew Limbong]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. Stacey Abrams is on the podcast today talking about her new book, Coded Justice. It's the latest thriller in her Avery Keen series, and this time Abrams is touching on the intersection between AI and healthcare. And Abrams is an interesting figure at this point. I'm not actually sure what she's known more for, her work in politics and voting rights advocacy or her fiction. But in this interview with Empire's Michelle Martin, Abrams says that they're both part of the same project, which is to engage people, to help people find ownership in the things going on in their lives and eventually take action. That's ahead.

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[Michelle Martin]

She's unraveled an international conspiracy involving a Supreme Court justice who's fallen mysteriously ill. She's investigated a blackmailed federal judge and a secret court. And all that while she was still justice Supreme Court clerk. This time, Avery Keene has finished her clerkship, but her quest for justice continues, this time focused on what could be the deadly side of AI. And yes, Avery Keene is fiction, but her creator is very much real and someone who knows the corridors of power for herself. She's the former minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives and two time gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Her latest thriller, and it really is a thriller, is called Coded Justice. The book hits the stands tomorrow and she's with us now to talk about this late. Welcome. Thank you so much for joining us.

[Stacey Abrams]

Once again, I appreciate the invitation and the chance to talk about Avery Keen.

[Michelle Martin]

So Avery Keene has starred in two of your previous books. How would you describe the premise of this book?

[Stacey Abrams]

So she has moved on from being a law clerk. She is now an investigative attorney and in private firms it's actually a job. My younger sister did this for a while as an attorney and you go inside companies and you sort of help them figure out problems before they balloon or become public. And so she has been doing this for a few months at this law firm and she gets pulled in to this Tech company that needs the help of an investigative lawyer. She's prepared for boredom, and that is not what she gets.

[Michelle Martin]

So the book touches on healthcare and artificial intelligence. And one of the things the book does besides kind of take her on this trip, is explains complicated things like how AI can be used beneficially, but also also how it could potentially be abused. How did this come to you? Like, is this something that's been percolating in your mind? Is there something that kind of set this off for you?

[Stacey Abrams]

Yeah. So every Avery Keane novel starts with a question I have. This one really was a combination of, how does AI work in our world? Why are we so bad at healthcare? And as we think about the intersection, I wanted to think about social justice issues.

[Michelle Martin]

Is this, in a way, your way of kind of working out what a better world would look like?

[Stacey Abrams]

Absolutely. I mean, for me, living is political. Our choices, our challenges, it's all political. And not in the sense that it's all partisan, but the negotiation of our priorities, our sacrifices, that's politics. It's easy to feel isolated or distanced from the headlines. To think AI is just too complicated and I can't understand it. I want us to believe that we have the right to understand it and the capacity to do so. And so I try to take these complex real world conversations and bring them into a space where I can terrify you. I can make you hopeful, but at the end of the day, you feel more ownership over your opportunity to do something about it.

[Michelle Martin]

So let's go to the rest of your life, because, as I said, you are a real life person with a real life life outside of your fiction writing, and a big part of your life is your political activism. Last spring, Georgia's Republican dominated state Senate moved forward with an ethics investigation of the New Georgia Project, which is a voter registration organization that has worked with you on a number of projects in getting more people registered, getting more people out to the polls. Is there anything you can tell us about that? Is that ending the operations of the project?

[Stacey Abrams]

No. I am proud of the work that I did establishing New Georgia Project. However, I've had no involvement in the group's leadership since I stepped away in 2017. However, what's happening with the GOP is that I'm being attacked because I believe voting rights matter. And they are using this as a proxy for a larger attack on the work that I do. The attacks that we're seeing are not grounded in any actual harm. It's that they're angry because I continue to do the work Even without a title. And instead of matching that energy, they've chosen to launch attacks. And I think that just says more about their priorities than mine.

[Michelle Martin]

What do you see as your role right now? If I were to write a sentence that said Stacey Abrams is or Stacey Abrams does, how would you end that sentence?

[Stacey Abrams]

Stacey Abrams does her best to engage people. So I have a podcast. I have a substack. I write fiction. I was recently doing an interview where I talk about how to understand this political moment in terms of the rise of autocracy. My job is to help people believe that they have the power of citizenship and that they have the right to make this country what they believe it should be. That's the work I do.

[Michelle Martin]

Do you think we'll ever see you back in politics as a candidate?

[Stacey Abrams]

It's entirely possible. I mean, look, politics is a tool, and it's a tool that I have used before. It's a tool that I think is important, and I have used it in my world to help fight back. I try to pick the right tool at the right time to get the work done. So I know I'm not done fighting, and I know I'm focused on finding the most effective place I can be in the fight right now, and that's gonna be the way I make decisions. It has been and it will continue to be.

[Michelle Martin]

You've also written romances. You know, there was a point at which you were in the conversation as vice president for former President Joe Biden. And I know that some people kind of wanted to throw some shade at your fiction, and clearly you don't care. But I was just wondering, did that ever give you pause? Did you ever think, oh, you know, I don't know. I was just wondering, did any of that bother you, or you just don't care?

[Stacey Abrams]

I've written 17 books. My first eight were romance, and I used a pseudonym in part because I was also publishing articles on the operational dissonance of the income tax exemption. And you can publish romance under a pen name. You can't publish tax articles under a pen name. And it was at the time that no one knew who I was, so no one was going to pick up a romance novel by Alan Greenspan. That said, I've never been uncomfortable with what I do. I write children's books. I write nonfiction. I write legal thrillers. I write romance because they're tools. They're ways I can help create positive change and engage people. And anyone who would look down on a means of engaging should investigate themselves. I've never questioned who I am and how I write and why I write because I love the power of storytelling and it helps me do the work that I think needs to be done.

[Michelle Martin]

Stacey Abrams is the author, most recently of Coded Justice. It's out tomorrow. Stacey Abrams, thank you so much for talking with us.

[Stacey Abrams]

Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.

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