ruby

“Once, he had thought diaspora was loss, longing, all the empty spaces in him filled with want.... But diaspora was this, too: two cultures that could both be his, history that was waiting to be made.”
― Grace D. Li, Portrait of a Thief

“Immigration stories and unfamiliar history, what it was like to grow up knowing you had more than all your ancestors combined. Privilege, responsibility, all those words that sometimes had a weight too heavy to bear.”
― Grace D. Li, Portrait of a Thief

“He saw me watching and rubbed self-consciously at his calloused hands. “I know I am ugly to you.” No, I thought. My grandfather’s halls are filled with shining nymphs and muscled river-gods, but I would rather gaze on you than any of them.”
― Madeline Miller, Circe

“Physical abuse versus emotional neglect? Some might say the neglect is worse. Because it negates your very existence.”
― Julia Bartz, The Writing Retreat