Jawad Williams on Becoming a Children's Book Author
Jawad Williams is known for his crazy work ethic; it's something he prides himself in - getting better every day no matter the weather or circumstance, staying the same isn't the option. Williams' dedication to his craft is seen through others as overdrive, but to him, it's striving for excellence that'll get you to where you want to be; anything else is a distraction. Former players such as Brice Johnson even recognize that the most straightforward thing, such as working out with Williams, becomes a competition and knows to stay away because it can get tense.
Fourteen years removed from North Carolina, Jawad Williams is still a familiar face around the Dean Dome. He practices there faithfully when he returns home from his overseas adventures of playing professional basketball. During his summers spent around the campus, Williams provides mentorship, challenges incoming players, and welcomes them into the Carolina bond. Still, there is more to Williams than just scoring a bucket or collapsing a defense; he's now a children's author depicting the lives of the little people he loves the most.
"Since the birth of my kids, we made it a priority to make sure we read to our children. We believe reading to children enhances their learning, and everything like that opens their minds and opens their imagination." Williams said, "We read so many children's books over their lifetimes, it was pretty easy for me to put their life into books, and here we are today."
Affectionately known as "Weezy F. 4 Babies" by teammate David Noel III, Williams has four kids, Nailah, Nash, and twins Zane and Zoe shared with his wife, Angel. As the family travels due to Williams's career as a basketball player in various overseas leagues, they noticed an opportunity to tell a story of black kids who benefit from seeing the world firsthand - something that's not often reflected in children's books. Nailah specifically advocated her dad to tell the stories.
"Nailah probably understands it more than I would think she does because she always talks about reading books about kids that look like her. That's a big thing for her, so that was another gap I wanted to fill. Seeing children of color, seeing black kids, traveling the world, and being more than just athletes and things like that."
The "Nailah and Nash" series takes the Williams family on a journey through Paris and Tokyo, where Williams has played professionally, and the family has been fortunate to explore. In the interview, Williams gives insight into the kid's adventures and highlights the little details that he sometimes miss and makes sure that the book with their name makes them happy,
"I read the manuscripts to the first, and sometimes they come up with ideas that I forgot about, or they remember specific things like the snails in the Paris book. They remember that specifically because they ate them so much, so little details like that. If they don't like anything, they can tell me, I'll take it out, but for the most part, they grew up seeing themselves and hearing their story."
The books "Nailah and Nash take Paris" and "Nailah and Nash take Tokyo" are available on Amazon, and a great addition to any children's collection on world travels, especially for children of color looking for representation.
For more information regarding the book and appearances, Nailah has been making appearances to classrooms reading her book, please contact Jawad Williams on social media.
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