On my ninth birthday, my uncle, whom I idolized, gave me a copy of Huckleberry Finn. My uncle, an aspiring writer himself, had already introduced me to the worlds of art and literature. But Huckleberry Finn had an indelible and lasting effect on me. This story of a young boy, and his friend Jim, confronting the injustices of a society beset by slavery and racism taught me about moral courage. My uncle's inscription in the book inspired me before I even turned a page: "May you always possess the freedom of the spirit that lives in these pages".