Grace Nyamaz

“Be roses that grow in the concrete.”
― Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give

“His son lost everything because he was trying to do his job and protect himself. His life matters too, you know?"
I cannot right now. I can't. I stand up or otherwise I will say or do something really stupid. Like punch her.
...
"Are you serious right now? Hailey asks. "What's wrong with saying his life matters too?"
"His life always matters more!" My voice is gruff, and my throat is tight. "That's the problem!”
― Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give

“Good-byes hurt the most when the other person’s already gone.”
― Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give

“Right. Lack of opportunities," Daddy says. "Corporate America don't bring jobs to our communities, and they damn sure ain't quick to hire us. Then, shit, even if you do have a high school diploma, so many of the schools in our neighborhoods don't prepare us well enough. That's why when your momma talked about sending you and your brothers to Williamson, I agreed. Our schools don't get the resources to equip you like Williamson does. It's easier to find some crack that it is the find a good school around here.
"Now, think 'bout this," he says. "How did the drugs even get in our neighborhood? This is a multibillion-dollar industry we talking 'bout, baby. That shit is flown into our communities, but I don't know anybody with a private jet. Do you?"
"No."
"Exactly. Drugs come from somewhere, and they're destroying our community," he says. "You got folks like Brenda, who think they need them survive, and then you got the Khalils, who think they need to sell them to survive. The Brendas can't get jobs unless they're clean, and they can't pay for rehab unless they got jobs. When the Khalils get arrested for selling drugs, they either spend most of their life in prison, another billion-dollar industry, or they have a hard time getting a real job and probably start selling drugs again. That's the hate they're giving us, baby, a system designed against us. That's Thug Life.”
― Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give