Freedom Riders in My Neighborhood

During Black History Month, we learn about the Freedom Riders, a brave group of young people who in 1961 rode buses into the deep South to challenge segregation. We read accounts of why they went and what they encountered in little towns such as Anniston, Alabama.

But what about the people, Black and white, who lived in those towns and saw those events? What did they feel? How did they respond?

My novel Night on Fire is the story of thirteen-year-old Billie Sims and her friend Jarmaine Jones, who live in Anniston, witness violent acts and a burning bus, and embark on a freedom ride of their own, through Birmingham and Montgomery into the teeth of an angry mob.

“Kidd writes with insight and restraint, creating a richly layered opus that hits every note to perfection....Beautifully written and earnestly delivered, the novel rolls to an inexorable, stunning conclusion that readers won’t soon forget.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred)

More about Night on Fire