“I spotted this book that looked rather risqué…”

Karama Neal and Judge Olly Neal

Judge Olly Neal grew up in Arkansas during the 1950s and didn’t care much for high school. One day he wandered into the library, where he came across a book by African American author Frank Yerby. The cover piqued his interest, but Olly didn’t want to risk his reputation by letting his classmates see him voluntarily reading. So rather than check out the book, he stole it.

He recounts how this book — and a little nudge from two helpful librarians — turned him around academically.

Presented as part of our animation season “Moments that Define,” in which StoryCorps participants share the turning points that have shaped them.

Listen to Judge Neal and Karama’s original StoryCorps interview.

Para subtítulos en español, haga click en el ícono de YouTube en la esquina derecha, y escoja “Spanish” bajo la opción de “settings” y “subtitles/CC.