the book is about the main character, kyara, and you write a story that was inspired by one of the mosttories that america saw, and it involved a young girl in oakland who was victimized by the police department. just tell us a little bit more about that, and then how you thought of turning this into a novel that could tell a story for everyone. >> i mean, i'm always surprised to hear how few people know about this case. but in 2016 in the bay area a case broke where a young girl was sexually exploited by many different bay area police officers. i was a young teenager at the time. i was borned and raised in oakland and i-- ( applause ) and i remember being really struck by the way the media talked about this case and the disproportionate focus on how this case might impact the relationship between the police department and the community, might damage the trust, as though it was ever there in the first place. and i i think-- i was wondering what about this girl? you know, what about the impact for her, and the systemic harm to young girls, particularly girls of color, and this particular