Not only does the memoir depict the close-knit family and rich cultural legacy of his neighborhood in Mansfield, LA, it also shows the dangers of simply getting on the city bus to go downtown to buy school clothes. Wade remembers the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Birmingham marches and bombing, the Freedom Summer of 1964, and the assassinations of John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. The memoir personalizes this turbulent time in American history.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Crown Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.


This book is the memoir of Wade Hudson's early life (birth through college) growing up in Louisiana during the era of Jim Crow segregation. I enjoyed reading about Hudson's close-knit family and the everyday things they did together as well as the fun times he spent with his friends growing up in a time without cell phones and video games. I wish that Hudson would have included more stories of segregation and how it impacted his life.

This would make a great addition to a middle grade or middle school unit on civil rights or general American history. A couple of parts felt a little too overly religious so public school teachers may want to exclude those chapters from their lessons.

Such an incredible testimony to living through this era. I am so glad this book was written and is being sharing with the world. What Wade and his family (and all Black individuals) living through is just heartbreaking. This very much lived up to my high hopes of this book!

Thanks to Random House Children Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read "Defiant" by Wade Hudson.

I would have assigned this as required reading for my eighth graders when I was teaching. I am retired now and absolutely enjoyed the book. The memoir is a well-written depiction of life growing up in northwestern Louisiana during the 1950's and 1960's.

Not only does the memoir depict the close-knit family and rich cultural legacy of his neighborhood in Mansfield, LA, it also shows the dangers of simply getting on the city bus to go downtown to buy school clothes. Wade remembers the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Birmingham marches and bombing, the Freedom Summer of 1964, and the assassinations of John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. The memoir personalizes this turbulent time in American history.

Wade Hudson was a charming and bright child as well as a leader among his friends and schoolmates. He and his brother started a baseball team when they were just 9 and 10 years old, because the Black children in Mansfield did not have one. A fun fact: the pitcher on his little league baseball team was Vida Blue, future Cy Young winning pitcher for the Oakland A's!

Defiant is an excellent YA memoir, and I highly recommend it!

This biography covers an important time in U.S. Civil Rights history. His perspective and relatable view from his personal lens is engaging for younger readers.