"Beals’ recollection of white oppression and her rise above it will haunt readers. A must-read for teens." School Library Journal From the legendary civil rights activist and author of the million-copy-selling Warriors Don’t Cry comes an ardent and profoundchildhood memoirof growing up while facing adversity in the Jim Crow South.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 to whites, she had questions. Why couldnt she drink from a "whites only" fountain? Why couldnt she feel safe beyond homeor even within the walls of church?Adults all told her: Hold your tongue. Be patient. Know your place.But Beals had the heart of a fighterand the knowledge that her true place was a free one.Combined with emotive drawings and photos, this memoir paints a vivid picture of Beals powerful early journey on the road to becoming a champion for equal rights, an acclaimed journalist, a best-selling author, and the recipient of this countrys highest recognition, the Congressional Gold Medal.