I Think It Is Important To Reach

In The 1980s, When People Were Just Beginning To Talk About Aids, There Were Just A Few Categories Of Those Who Were At High Risk: Homosexuals, Hemophiliacs, Heroin Addicts, And Haitians. We Were The Only Ones Identified By Nationality.

The Best Moment In Writing Any Book Is When You Just Can't Wait To Get Back To The Writing, When You Can't Wait To Re-enter That Fictional Place, When Your Fictional Town Feels Even More Real Than The Town Where You Actually Live.

The Whole Military Structure In Haiti That Existed Until The Early 1990s Was Put In Place By The American Occupation. At The Top There Were Southern White Officers, Who Led An Army That Crushed The Indigenous Resistance - The Cacos. A High-ranking U.s. Officer Said When He Arrived, "to Think These Niggers Speak French!" Later, Haitian Officers Attended The Notorious School Of The Americas At Fort Benning. The Threat From The U.s. Is Something That Is Always Hanging Over People's Heads: If We Don't Behave, We'll Have Occupation Again.

There Is Always A Place Where, If You Listen Closely In The Night, You Will Hear A Mother Telling A Story And At The End Of The Tale, She Will Ask You This Question: 'ou Libéré?' Are You Free, My Daughter?" My Grandmother Quickly Pressed Her Fingers Over My Lips. Now," She Said, "you Will Know How To Answer.

When You Write, It’s Like Braiding Your Hair. Taking A Handful Of Coarse Unruly Strands And Attempting To Bring Them Unity. Your Fingers Have Still Not Perfected The Task. Some Of The Braids Are Long, Others Are Short. Some Are Thick, Others Are Thin. Some Are Heavy. Others Are Light. Like The Diverse Women Of Your Family. Those Whose Fables And Metaphors, Whose Similes And Soliloquies, Whose Diction And Je Ne Sais Quoi Daily Slip Into Your Survival Soup, By Way Of Their Fingers.