First of all, I would like to thank my best friend, Lester. I’ve thanked him before and I will continue thanking him always. Since we were kids, he has stood by my side, and I have tried always to stand by his. I wish for everyone to have a friendship like ours, and since my release we have gone on to have just as many adventures as adults as we had as children.
I want to thank Bryan Stevenson and everyone at EJI. I was proud to be your client, and now I am proud to work alongside you fighting the good fight for justice. As I said before, you are a great lawyer, but you are also a great man and a great friend. I am blessed to have you in my life.
I would like to thank my literary agency for working just as hard on this middle grade book as they did on the adult version. Thank you, Doug Abrams. Thank you, Lara Love Hardin. I am grateful for you both.
I would like to thank the entire team at Feiwel & Friends for doing great books for children and young adults and for doing books that matter. Thank you to my editor, Kat Brzozowski, for having the vision to do a middle grade version and for knowing that young readers are hungry for stories and topics that matter. Thank you to the entire production and design and publicity team: Lelia Mander, Kim Waymer, Trisha Previte, Bonnie Cutler, Emily Heddleson, and Kelsey Marrujo.
I would like to thank especially Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich for working so tirelessly to transform my story for young readers. This wouldn’t be the book it is without you, Gbemi!
And finally I would like to thank all the young people who are reading this book, who I’ve gotten to visit in schools, who have heard my story and begun their important work to create a world that has more justice and equality for everyone. This book is for you, and I can’t wait to see how each one of you changes the world.