“The church that raised me bears almost no resemblance to the one dehumanizing refugees”
― Awake: A Memoir
― Awake: A Memoir
“Potato pancakes, Claire reflected, were the food of love—meaning, they were such a colossal pain in the ass to make that no one would ever take the trouble except for love.”
― The Briar Club
― The Briar Club
“So we hammer everything but the nail?"
"Listen to me." Amanda tapped her desk for attention. "Why do I have to keep reminding you of Waco and Ruby Ridge? The FBI has dealt with these paramilitary white nationalist organizations far longer than we have."
"Yeah, they've made them too white to fail.”
― The Last Widow
"Listen to me." Amanda tapped her desk for attention. "Why do I have to keep reminding you of Waco and Ruby Ridge? The FBI has dealt with these paramilitary white nationalist organizations far longer than we have."
"Yeah, they've made them too white to fail.”
― The Last Widow
“What if bewilderment at social choreography is the only true thing happening in the room? What if decorum doesn’t grease the machine but grinds it to a halt? I’ve never lived in a world where we all say what we actually mean and feel and think and believe and want. Maybe she is the one standing in integrity and the rest of us are just following the damn script.”
― Awake: A Memoir
― Awake: A Memoir
“Your mother says that to justify the fact that she isn’t being fair to you,” Mrs. Grace said calmly. “Which is mostly what people mean when they say ‘life isn’t fair.’ It isn’t, which is why people should endeavor to be more fair to one another, not less.”
― The Briar Club
― The Briar Club
Shawnda28’s 2025 Year in Books
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