"She saw them before they saw her, the two men leaning against a dusty red Cortina and looking out of place in the reg…"

"racism is not a white problem; it's a problem of the world."

"the church has done more to destroy people in the Caribbean than any other institution."

"[about the character Hyacinth in The Unbelonging] the reason she's an outsider here [in England] is because she never…"

"because I have written a book which actually goes to the heart of how poor people are kept in control - which is by t…"

"[about writing a character who works as a cleaner] you've got to look beyond the mop because there's a human being th…"

"(Q: Your first three novels are powerful indictments of racism, Joan. Yet you've gotten some negative responses from …"

"I've been told my poetry is anti-male and anti-white. I think that's very unfair because it raises issues like, Have …"

"Jamaicans don't like to admit to all of the things that are wrong with their society. Children are unprotected. They …"

"I've always been very unhappy about leaders. I see my brother with his cap in his hand, with his head bowed just like…"