“ When things fall apart, the children of the land scurry and scatter like birds escaping a burning sky....They will never be the same again because you cannot be the same once you leave behind who and… NoViolet Bulawayo
“ If you are stealing something it’s better if it’s small and hideable or something you can eat quickly and be done with, like guavas. This way, people can’t see you with the thing to be reminded that y… NoViolet Bulawayo
“ With all this snow, with the sun not there, with the cold and dreariness, this place doesn't look like my America, doesn't even look real. It's like we are in a terrible story, like we're in the crazy… NoViolet Bulawayo
“ I am careful not to look anyone in the face because I don't want them to see the shame in my eyes, and I also don't want to see the laughter in theirs. NoViolet Bulawayo
“ ...and the women spread their ntsaroz and sit on one side, the men on the other, like they are two different rivers that are not supposed to meet. NoViolet Bulawayo
“ We are all watching and not knowing what to do because when grown-ups cry, it's not like you can ask them what's wrong, or tell them to shut up; there are just no words for a grown-up's tears. NoViolet Bulawayo
“ [Jesus Christ] used to have blue eyes but I painted them brown like mine and everybody’s, to make him normal. NoViolet Bulawayo
“ You want Change, today we'll show you Change!Here's your democracy, your human rights, eat it, eat eat eat! NoViolet Bulawayo
“ That's what you do in America: you smile at people you don't know and you smile at people you don't even like and you smile for no reason. NoViolet Bulawayo
“ And they had nothing, except of course memories, their own, and those passed down by their mothers and mothers' mothers. A nation's memory. NoViolet Bulawayo
“ I am starting to talk fast now, and I have to remember to slow down because when I get excited, I start to sound like myself and my American accent goes away. NoViolet Bulawayo
“ Because we were not in our country, we could not use our own languages, and so when we spoke our voices came out bruised. NoViolet Bulawayo
“ Running and chanting, the word change in the air like it's something you can grab and put in your mouth and sink your teeth into. NoViolet Bulawayo
“ Generally the men always tried to appear strong; they walked tall, heads upright, arms steady at the sides, and feet firmly planted like trees. Solid, Jericho walls of men. But when they went out in t… NoViolet Bulawayo
