"I enjoyed the sound of our voices following one another. Sounded like a favorite song from the radio they no longer p…"

""Enough people in the world trying to silence us. Girl, you better speak up.” (p238)"

"That was how I knew Sister Mukumbo was a real teacher, aside from her welcoming smile and her blackboard penmanship. …"

""If you knew what I knew, seen what I've seen, you wouldn't be so quick to pull the plow." (p110)"

"It was a strange, wonderful feeling. To discover eyes upon you when you expected no one to notice you at all. (p214)"

"Children were a big part of the Black Panther Movement. At that time there were no books about the roles children pla…"

"(What advice do you have for aspiring writers?) Write a little bit every day. I began by writing 500 words a day, but…"

"(In a note included with advance editions of the book, referring to slavery and its legacies, you wrote, “At no other…"

"[asked what readers can expect from her book] Surprises and to challenge our own ideas of humanity. Novels are the ho…"

"writing is an art but it’s work. If you don’t value your work, who will? (2021)"