Hey Cousins. Today's episode is a sermon of sorts — I might step on some toes, but trust me, it's all out of love.We are in a literacy crisis. About 54% of adults in America read below a sixth-grade level. You've heard the phrase: if you want to hide something, put it in a book. So what happens to our history, our knowledge, and our stories when half of us can't read them for ourselves?This episode introduces my newest book, Diary of Neadie Jean Faulkner. Neadie is 12 years old at the height of Jim Crow — a time when Black folks were not meant to read or write at all. She receives a diary at Christmas, has to leave school, and writes anyway, in her Gullah Geechee dialect, questioning everything. In 2026, Neadie is 108 years old, urging her family to learn midwifery, spirituality, healing and rootwork before it's too late.If 12-year-old Neadie could read and write then, we can close this gap now. And help is right here at home:📚 LITERACY HELP — FREE, RIGHT HERE IN THE TRIADFOR ADULTS:• Reading Connections — free, confidential tutoring: reading, writing, English classes & GED prep. Greensboro (336) 230-2223 · High Point (336) 884-7323 · readingconnections.org• GTCC Adult Education — free reading, GED & Adult High School classes. Greensboro (336) 334-4822 ext. 53107 · High Point (336) 334-4822 ext. 55087FOR CHILDREN:• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library — a FREE book mailed to your child every month, from birth to age 5 (Guilford County Partnership for Children): (336) 274-5437 · guilfordchildren.orgNot sure where to start? Dial 2-1-1 — free, confidential referrals to local help.Next Thursday: the Gullah Geechee people of the Lowcountry — the world Neadie comes from. Find BookTalk from SallyWalkz on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music.Subscribe: www.sallywalkz.netBooks: payhip.com/SallyWalkzBookshelfAs always, take care. Bye for now. Love y'all. Peace.📚 More from SallyWalkz — books, blog & sneak peeks: https://sallywalkz.net