The Illusions of Billie Washington follows the adventures of several children growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1966. Though they once spent their days together in the same neighborhood, they each saw the world a little differently. And once they are accidentally transported from their familiar surroundings to places further and further from home, the children have to learn to fend for themselves and make their own way in the often racist and unfriendly world of the 1960s. About the Author Freddie Louis Smith enlisted in the U.S. Air Force right out of high school and worked several factory jobs afterwards. Smith began writing The Illusions of Billie Washington when he was only a boy, and eventually he returned to school to better his writing skills. He is now retired and has a passion for helping youth from poor neighborhoods get an education.