All writers write about the past, and I try to make it come alive so you can see what happened.

Grace under pressure isn't just about bullfighters and men at war. It's about getting up every day to face a job or a white boss you don't like but have to face to feed your children so they'll grow up to be a better generation.

A myth is an old lie that people believe in. White people believe that they're better than anyone else on earth - and that's a myth.

I suppose I started writing seriously at 16 years old. I thought I wrote a novel at 16 and sent it to New York! They sent it back because it wasn't novel.