Achy Obejas > Quotes

“Offspring were a joy or a shame, but still the crown of their elders, nature's unpredictable creatures.”
― Achy Obejas, Ruins

“I want to ask him how much he expects to take.”
― Achy Obejas, We Came All the Way from Cuba So You Could Dress Like This?: Stories

“What does my family want for me? My mother would say happiness, but she couldn't tell you what that means, not really. My father would say, "Whatever she wants" - because he has no idea whatsoever what that might be, and it would shock him to realize that. If asked, Nena and Pucho would look at each other nervously, dismayed by their own lack of knowledge.

Right now, I hold on to myself, sometimes literally. I hold on to my sides, my arms, my stubborn ankles, because in this house of nostalgia and fear, of time warps and trivia, I'm the only one I know about for sure.”
― Achy Obejas, Memory Mambo

“She believed in her soul that they saw each other’s flaws, each crack and fissure, and that their love filled them with the same promise: I see you, all of you, all the things you don’t want the world to know. I see what you’re ashamed of, what terrifies you, and I still choose you.”
― Achy Obejas, Take Us to a Better Place: Stories