Wade Hudson: Hi, I'm Wade Hudson, and I am the author of Defiant: Growing Up in the Jim Crow South. This book is a coming-of-age story that takes place during the 1950s and the 1960s. It is about a Black boy trying to make sense of the world in which he must live, a world that is dominated by Jim Crow laws and practices.

It is also a story about the strength and endurance of the Black people in that segregated world where he lives. It is about the love and nurturing that he received from the Black community that enable him to dream, despite the barriers segregation and racial discrimination posed.

It was a time of change and challenges. There were the Civil Rights Movement, of course. The Vietnam War. The beginning of rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The President of the United States was killed during this period. And, of course, during the 1950s, there was the space age race. All of these events had an impact on me when I was growing up.

It is a story of a Black boy struggling to find his way and his sense of self in a difficult culture. It is a story about a Black boy with a gift for writing, but because there were few books written by Black writers of books that focused on Black life in his school library, he did not consider writing as a viable profession.

There is a chapter in the book where that young boy realizes that not only must he learn new things, but he must also unlearn what had been passed down to him. For example, how girls were viewed and treated in society.

Now, I think stories like this, which this memoir tells, stories from different cultures and experiences, help us better understand our world today. The history that's being made currently is obviously impacted and influenced by past events, past experiences, and past stories. And I am happy to share my story about growing up in the South in the little town called Mansfield, Louisiana.

The idea for writing the manuscript for this memoir came about several years ago, after we had published an anthology called We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices by Crown Books for Young Readers. We were at a luncheon engagement with a number of the executives at Crown Books. I was sharing some stories and anecdotes about growing up in Mansfield, Louisiana, during the 50s and the 60s. One of the executives at Penguin Random House said, you know, you should write this as a memoir. Now I had never really thought about writing a memoir. I mean, I didn't really think that my life growing up would be of importance to young readers, but they encouraged me to do it.

I thought about it, decided that I would give it a shot. You know, I had to deal with some questions that I had, for example, how would I render the people I grew up with and under? Also, would I do them justice through this memoir, and also how much did I really want to share about growing up in that kind of environment? And so I answered those questions positively and decided to take it on.

As I wrote the manuscript, I was able to relive some of those experiences, and by reliving them, it really helped me understand how awesome those Black people in that community where I grew up were. How they were able to endure and survive and grow in a difficult environment in spite of all of the barriers and challenges that made it difficult for them to do so. And being able to provide the love and the nurturing for youngsters like me to endure, and not only endure, but also to dream of something beyond the limitations that Jim Crow laws enacted on us.