I Write From Real Life. I Am

Being Defiant Can Be A Good Thing Sometimes," Aunty Ifeoma Said. "defiance Is Like Marijuana - It Is Not A Bad Thing When It Is Used Right.

I Didn't Want To Be Apologetic About My Love Story, And I Think To Be Willing To Write About Love You Have To Be Willing To Sound Foolish. I Wanted To Write About Foolish And Goofy Love And Different Relationships. I Wanted To Write About Interracial Relationships In A Way That Does Not Pretend As If Race Does Not Exist.

I Was Stained By Failure.

I Would Come, Many Years Later, To Understand Why To Kill A Mockingbird Is Considered An Important Novel, But When I First Read It At 11, I Was Simply Absorbed By The Way It Evoked The Mysteries Of Childhood, Of Treasures Discovered In Trees, And Games Played With An Exotic Summer Friend.

How [stories] Are Told, Who Tells Them, When They’re Told, How Many Stories Are Told — Are Really Dependent On Power.