“When's the election?" "Next Tuesday. Y'all niggers going to vote for me?" A slender snaggle-toothed boy waved his hand in front of… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
“Hadar, the only time I feel black is when I look at my hands," Spencer said, spreading his fingers out in front… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
“I understand now that the only time black people don't feel guilty is when we've actually done something wrong, because that relieves… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
There are things I don't like, like sitting at the head of the class. It makes me uncomfortable. I'll do it in a seminar… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
In The Sellout I tried to capture how we can talk and see race, how we see urbanity, and how we see our history. — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
In White Boy Shuffle, I combined my seventh-grade teacher, Mr. Takemoto, who really saved me - I don't think I've ever told anyone this… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
I co-taught a seminar called Small Group Processes with my professor. I learned so much from it, so much about myself, about groups, how… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
I'll say this, and it'll sound like bullshit, but it's not: I don't really pay attention to this stuff [Man Booker Prize] very much.… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
“Hereos. Idols. They're never who you think they are. Shorter. Nastier. Smellier. And when you finally meet them, there's something that makes you want… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
There are many similarities between Germans and blacks. The nouns themselves are loaded with so much historical baggage it's impossible for anyone to be… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
Like when you have the right title for something you're writing and you get lost - you can always go back to the title… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
I had a student once come up to me and we were talking about this incident, and, of course, I never had the right… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
There are always so many things happening [to us] at one time. We read Isherwood's A Single Man in class, and we had to… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
I forget how beautiful and calm California is. It's not so much about the place, but also the age that I came to the… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image
“My litmus test of compatibility is 'Tom Cruise.' I hate people who hate Tom Cruise, cultural automatons who at the mention of his name… — Paul Beatty Copy Share Image