Since I hold no judgments against my characters, no matter how heinous they might seem, I present them as real people with… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
I have to have three or four books going simultaneously. If I'm not impressed in the first 20 pages, I don't bother… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
I think that those of us who are ordinary disappear easily into the backdrop of life and we take things for granted.… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
My search is always to find ways to chronicle, to share and to document stories about people, just everyday people. Stories that… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
Sometimes I feel very alone. I am a bit of a nomad. Many people in sort of emerging countries, emerging economies, find… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
Much of the image of the amazingness of America comes from the movies into other cultures. And it's much the same thing… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
All power within the microcosm of my world was held and wielded by people who look like me. Plus, I think Nigerians… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
People think that writing is writing, but actually writing is editing. Otherwise, you're just taking notes — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
Sometimes we say we want an end to hate or racism or sexism. But we all participate in keeping these structures alive.… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
I think it's an aggregation of all of the small acts that are really transformative. I think a group of small acts transform the… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
“He too, it seemed, had come to believe that he could somehow escape history. That it was possible, and even desirable, to live in… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
My mom taught me to read when I was two or three. When I was five I read and wrote well enough to do… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
You know, you can steel your heart against any kind of trouble, any kind of horror. But the simple act of kindness from a… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
Fiction is more dangerous than nonfiction because it can seduce better. I think we all know this, know that deeper truths can be approached… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
My grand uncle was a traditional priest, and he would always say to me as a kid, 'We stand in our own light,' which… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
Unlike other books or TV shows or sometimes life, my narrative worlds are stripped of implicit moral centers. There is only what you bring.… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
Nigerians are everywhere. There's an old joke, particularly about the Ibos, that when you finally land on Mars, you're going to find a Nigerian… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
“Circuses are about entertainment and juggling and animals and all that shit. Sideshows are about freaks, about people and the limits of acceptability. We… — Chris Abani Copy Share Image
