I felt like a Tinker toy kid building my own self out of one of those toy building sets; for as she laid her life before me, I reassembled the tableau of her words like a picture puzzle, and as… — James McBride Copy Share Image
You know what needs to be done when you're a writer. You know what the job is, particularly if you're an African American writer, or if you deal with people, or if your subjects are poor people or people who… — James McBride Copy Share Image
Some things in this world just ain't meant to be, not in the times we want 'em to, and the heart has to hold… — James McBride Copy Share Image
There are some really great books that have been written about slavery, but I don't think that the discourse about it in society has… — James McBride Copy Share Image
There are two responses to really awful things. One is to lament and say, "Oh my God, oh lord." And the other is to… — James McBride Copy Share Image
If you're going to cheat and take people's history and you're not writing the Bible, you ain't really so great. But if you try… — James McBride Copy Share Image
“Most cars drove through there because the drivers is either from The Bottom and wanna get home - or they ain't from The Bottom… — James McBride Copy Share Image
There has to be some mystery in life, because the joy of being a writer and the joy of being a musician is the… — James McBride Copy Share Image
“And when James asked what color God was, she said, God is the color of water.” — James McBride Copy Share Image
I'm proud of 'Miracle at St. Anna' and I loved it; there's no question in my mind it's as good as any movie that… — James McBride Copy Share Image
“back,” Daddy said. “It’ll work out.” He had no idea what to do about Helen. They spoke a completely different language. He was an… — James McBride Copy Share Image
I'm one of the few Black writers, or African American writers, who managed to work my way through the system so that it has… — James McBride Copy Share Image
