When I Began To Read, I Began

What Some People Wanted Was Sometimes Too Hard To Get, And The Stress Of Trying Was Sometimes Too Hard To Deal With... Maybe Doing Well In Life Was Just Too Hard For Some People.

People Told Me To Give Up Trying To Be Special And Settle Down To A Regular Life. There Ain't Nothing Wrong With A Regular Life, And That's The Lord's Truth...but It Wasn't For Me, Because I Wanted To Be Something Special. I Knew How Easy It Was For A Dream To Die. I Seen That All Around Me. You Could Let It Die By Just Looking The Other Way.

The Idea Of Voluntary Segregation Went Against Every Value I Had Been Taught. What Did Being Born Black Have To Do With Excellence?

Each Of Us Is Born With A History Already In Place

I Was Teased If I Brought My Books Home. I Would Take A Paper Bag To The Library And Put The Books In The Bag And Bring Them Home. Not That I Was That Concerned About Them Teasing Me - Because I Would Hit Them In A Heartbeat. But I Felt A Little Ashamed, Having Books.