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This is Fresh Air, I'm T. I'm Tanya Mosley and my guest today is award-winning actress Uzo Aduba.

When she won her first Emmy in 2014 for her

breakout performance as Suzanne Crazy Eyes Warren and the Netflix series Orange is the New Black

Seated next to her at the award ceremony and a regal blue Nigerian head dress and gown was her mother

Noyim whom Aduba tearfully thanked for

immigrating to the U.S. to make a better life for her family.

In a new memoir, Aduba makes clear that to know her you must first know and understand her mother

who died in 2020 from pancreatic cancer. Aduba's memoir takes us through her

parents journey in the 60s after the Nigerian Civil War,

settling in and raising Aduba in her siblings in the predominantly white

suburb of Medfield, Massachusetts.

Intertwined with her mother's story is Aduba's journey, how she discovered acting and the pursuit of her dreams in New York City before landing her breakout role in Orange is the New Black, for which she won two Emmy awards.

Aduba is known for her ability to embody her characters.

She also won a third Emmy for her performance as Shirley Chisholm in the FX series Mrs America, and she currently stars in the coming

of age film as Clarice in The Supremes at Earls All You Can Eat.

Her new memoir is titled The Road is Good, how a mother's strength became a daughter's purpose.

An Uzo Aduba, welcome to Fresh Air.

Thank you so much for having me, Tanya.

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