Hudson’s vivid account of his childhood and young adulthood combines fond recollections of childhood with memories of events that led to his determination to become an activist. Hudson writes about growing up in Mansfield, Louisiana, with a lively sense of immediacy, drawing readers into that time and place, his family, neighborhood, and community. One of eight siblings, his was a childhood of baseball, school, church. Entertaining escapades, lively personalities, and meaningful relationships are revealed throughout this captivating narrative. He was a junior in high school in 1963, a year he describes as one of awakening as violent pushback against civil rights activists and other shocking events opened his eyes to how much he hadn’t been taught, and wanted to learn and do. He set off for college at Southern University with activism on his mind. This memoir opens with his arrest five years after he left for college on trumped up charges, and ends with his release from jail, and his determination to continue fighting for the lives and dignity of Black people. (Age 12 and older)

As the fight for equal rights continues, Defiant takes a critical look at the strides and struggles of the past in this revelatory and moving memoir about a young Black man growing up in the South during the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. For fans of It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime, Stamped, and Brown Girl Dreaming.

"With his compelling memoir, Hudson will inspire young readers to
emulate his ideals and accomplishments.” –Booklist, Starred Review

Born in 1946 in Mansfield, Louisiana, Wade Hudson came of age against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement. From their home on Mary Street, his close-knit family watched as the country grappled with desegregation, as the Klan targeted the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and as systemic racism struck across the nation and in their hometown.

Amidst it all, Wade was growing up. Getting into scuffles, playing baseball, immersing himself in his church community, and starting to write. Most important, Wade learned how to find his voice and use it. From his family, his community, and his college classmates, Wade learned the importance of fighting for change by confronting the laws and customs that marginalized and demeaned people.

This powerful memoir reveals the struggles, joys, love, and ongoing resilience that it took to grow up Black in segregated America, and the lessons that carry over to our fight for a better future.