For Edward Jones, getting fired was the best thing for his career.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Known World was raised by a single mother who couldn't read or write. Growing up, Edward spent a lot of time in local libraries with his nose in a book. He became the first in his family to graduate from college.

Although he had an English degree, Edward never dreamed of becoming an author, so he took a job at a tax journal. There he worked for 19 years until the company downsized, and he was fired.

Without a job and with plenty of time, Edward sat down at a computer and finally began typing out the story that had been rattling around in his head for a decade.