Overview

Floyd's Baller is a young adult historical fiction novel told through the imagined voice of George Floyd, tracing the real-life journey of his lifelong best friend, Adarryl Hunter. Set against the social, cultural, and systemic realities of the neighborhoods that shaped them, the story follows Adarryl as he navigates friendship, ambition, temptation, and choice-long before the world knew George Floyd's name. Through their bond, the novel explores coming of age, loyalty, masculinity, grief, and the quiet moments that determine who we become. This is not a biography of George Floyd. It is a story about the world he and Adarryl came from-and the ripple effects of decisions made under pressure, love, and survival. Written with care and intention, Floyd's Baller restores dignity to a human life often reduced to headlines and invites readers to see beyond the moment that made George Floyd a symbol. Designed for high school readers and educators, the book offers a powerful entry point for conversations about identity, systemic inequity, personal responsibility, and empathy-without preaching or simplification. While written for young adults, its impact reaches far beyond the classroom, speaking to anyone willing to listen closely.

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9798999740236

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Heather N. Wilde is an author, artist, former English educator, and the founder of Hezzie Mae. She spent years working with at-risk youth, where she learned that storytelling-when handled with care-can be both a mirror and a lifeline. As a trauma survivor herself, Heather approaches narrative not as spectacle, but as a means of restoring dignity and humanity to complex lives.Heather is the author of Tumbled, Pig Tales and Popcorn, and Sell Your Book, Not Your Soul, and her work centers on healing, personal responsibility, and the quiet power of truth. In Floyd's Baller, she serves as both writer and witness-shaping the story with restraint, reverence, and deep respect for the lives at its center.

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