After Midnight - Bobby Layne Dennis; TBD

AFTER MIDNIGHT

A Historical Novel Based on the Author's Observations of the Parchman Ordeal

In 1965, more than one hundred Black children from Natchez were arrested for marching and sent to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Their disappearance shook a city already divided by fear and segregation.

Told through the eyes of a twelve‑year‑old boy who witnessed the events unfold, After Midnight blends lived memory with historical truth to reveal the courage of ordinary people who refused to be broken. As parents confront the sheriff, elders stand between deputies and unarmed marchers, and children sing freedom songs behind prison walls, a community discovers its voice - and its power.

This novel is a tribute to the families who endured the Parchman Ordeal and to the children whose strength lit the way home.