From the legendary civil rights activist and author of the million-copy-selling Warriors Don't Cry comes "a visceral and vital memoir" about growing up in the segregated South (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

Civil rights heroine Melba Patillo Beals, one of the Little Rock Nine, puts readers right in her saddle oxfords as a young activist fighting back against the laws that told her she was less just because of the color of her skin. Now with a Q&A with Melba!

Long before she was one of the Little Rock Nine, Melba Pattillo Beals was a warrior. Frustrated by the laws that kept African-Americans separate but very much unequal, she had questions. Why couldn't she drink from a "whites only" fountain? Why couldn't she feel safe beyond home? Adults all told her: Hold your tongue. Be patient. Know your place. But Beals had the heart of a fighter--and knew that her true place was a free one.

Alongside photos, Beals recounts her early journey to becoming a champion for equal rights, a bestselling author, and the recipient of this country's highest recognition, the Congressional Gold Medal.