"Black south Africans adopted the religion of our colonizers. By "adopt" I mean it was forced on us." pg 5

“In any society built on institutionalized racism, race-mixing doesn’t merely challenge the system as unjust, it reveals the system as unsustainable and incoherent.” pg 21

"my mother showed me what was possible. The thing that always amazed me about her life was that she did things that were supposed to be impossible.” pg 23

“They didn’t care about the law. They cared about each other.” pg 24

"She would walk a few paces behind me, never beside me, and if the police came she would have to pretend she didn’t know me.” pg 26

This statement speaks to the feeling of being marginalized by laws and society-an experience many African Americans can relate to through the history of segregation and anti-miscegenation laws in the U.S.

"In any society built on institutionalized racism, race-mixing doesn’t merely challenge the system as unjust, it reveals the system as unsustainable and incoherent.” Pg 21

This observation is relevant to my experience being African American, especially regarding how relationships and identities have historically challenged racist systems in America.

“My mother showed me what was possible. The thing that always amazed me about her life was that she did things that were supposed to be impossible.” pg 23

This quote reflects the resilience and determination of black women in the face of systemic obstacles, a theme deeply familiar in African American communities.

"In America the dream is to make it out of the ghetto, in Soweto, the dream was to transform the ghetto" Pg 42

"When you strike a woman, you strike a rock" pg 39

"Sadly, no matter how fancy you made your house, there was one thing you could never aspire to improve: your toilet." pg40

"I was lying on the floor in the bedroom, reading. I needed to go, but it was pouring down rain. I was dreading going outside to use the toilet... Then I had an idea." pg 43

"Language brings with it an identity and culture, or at least the perception of it." pg 48

Growing up I've always lived in what would be described as the "ghetto" and for as long as I could dream my biggest one was to get out of here and finally have more than what I have in life.

"there is something magical about Soweto. yes, it was a prison designed by our oppressors, but it also gave us a sense of self-determination and control. Soweto was ours." pg 42

Being African American a lot of things I live with were designed by my oppressors most of the time keep me under but I have not fallen under and I will not .

"Maybe I didn't look like you but if I spoke like you I was you" pg 56

Being who I am and where i'm from i'd always seek to have friends who had more than me because they didn't look like me so they go more opportunities, so i'd try to be more like them and speak their language, sometimes I still do.

"My mom told me these things so that I'd never take for granted how we got to where we were." pg 66

"My mother wanted her child beholden to no fate." pg 67

"I wasn't a sociopath. I was just creative and independent and full of energy." pg 85

"I never called my dad 'Dad'." pg 104

"I was the anomaly wherever we lived." pg 117

"When I finished, she burst out laughing." pg 123

My mother never made me feel that way. loved. this is why I wish to have a child to feel the love I wish she felt when she had me.

The amount of times I have been told this is uncountable that I began to believe it, but there is nothing wrong with me right?

This also reflects how we as children form strong emotional bonds and how growing up often means confronting uncomfortable truths.

"As devastated as I was I understood why Maylene made the choice that she did. I would have picked Lorenzo over me, too." pg 133

"I was an overnight success. Fat guys were my number-one-customers. They loved food, but couldn't run." pg 140

"Hey, Zaheera, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend? Ten words that might have changed my life if i'd had the courage to say them. But I hadn't, now she was gone."

I feel like we could all connect to this quote (pg 141) from the first day freshman year. We all have been in a class without knowing anybody so we just stayed silent.

rule of 3

parenthesis

parallelism

rhetorical questions

polysyndeton

anadipolosis

asyndeton

anaphora

“These people had been so fucked by their own construct of race that they could not see that the white person they were looking for was sitting right in front of them.”

Page 108–114

Alliteration is present in the repeated "s" sound in "so...sitting" and "see...sitting," though it is subtle.

Parallelism

“When you put me on a black-and-white screen next to a black person, the camera doesn’t know what to do. If the camera has to pick, it picks me as white.”

Page 108–114

This line uses parallelism with the structure: “If the camera has to pick, it picks me as white,” echoing the earlier clause and creating a balanced rhythm.

Asyndeton

omission of conjunctions in a list or series

Polysyndeton

overuse of conjunctions

Anaphora

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

The part with the security camera exposes how systems built on racial assumptions can be deeply flawed, sometimes to the point of comedy or tragedy. This can resonate with anyone who has seen or experienced institutional bias.

“These people had been so fucked by their own construct of race that they could not see that the white person they were looking for was sitting right in front of them.” pg 108–114

The chapter’s comic tone offers relief but also underscores the challenges of connection in a diverse society.

The chapter also touches on the search for belonging and identity in multicultural environments.

The line also invites reflection on the difference between familial discipline and societal violence, and the ways parents try to shield their children from a hostile world.

“I chose to have you because I wanted something to love and something that would love me unconditionally in return.” pg 66

“That was the turning point. When my mother started making more money and getting her independence back - that's when we saw the dragon emerge. The drinking got worse. He grew more and more violent.” pg 234–235

The second quote, Patricia’s reason for having Trevor, speaks to the universal human longing for unconditional love.

The third quote about Abel’s increasing violence as Patricia gains independence highlights the dangers of patriarchal control and domestic abuse, resonating with readers who have witnessed or experienced similar dynamics.