Back to Dixie is a Social Thriller

I classify Back to Dixie‘s genre as a social thriller.  It’s a relatively new term that’s mostly used in the film industry to describe movies like Get Out by Jordan Peele.  If you search for  ‘social thriller genre’ in Wikipedia, it defines social thriller as a film genre using elements of suspense and horror to augment instances… Continue reading Back to Dixie is a Social Thriller

Q & A with Back to Dixie author, Len Hyde

This book is for everybody.  Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, any race.  Liberal, conservative, progressive, any political party.  It’s for people who believe systemic racism is the country’s biggest problem, just as much as it is for those who dont think its a real thing.

Toni Morrison helped me find my authentic voice

I just posted a video where I pay tribute to the most influential writer in my life, Toni Morrison. She helped me find my authentic voice after it was misplaced for a bit. The video would be fur hours long, if I expressed all the ways her writing has impacted me.

How systemic racism was addressed in the book

The climate described in the early chapters of Back to Dixie is strikingly similar to today’s America.  In fact, the book mirrored our reality up until early 2021 when the first draft was completed.   Consequently, the characters in Back to Dixie also experienced the rash of civil rights offenses and the meaningless deaths of so… Continue reading How systemic racism was addressed in the book

Can we talk RACE?

Race, politics, and religion.  As a young corporate worker in the 90’s, I learned early on to steer clear from those subjects at work—very little could be gained, while risks were high.  Because many people have strong opinions on these topics, it was easy for casual discussions to escalate into full blown arguments.  Many avoided… Continue reading Can we talk RACE?

BTD Excerpt: Workfare in Action

In this excerpt from Chapter 16, Richie Amente finds out that he is the lucky recipient of two Blacks, courtesy of the Workfare Administration. “We got two!”  Richie Amente excitedly ran into the kitchen where his wife was making dinner. “Sherry, we got two Blacks!” Sherry didn’t know what her husband was talking about at… Continue reading BTD Excerpt: Workfare in Action