If I grew up in a truly color-blind society, I would not be a black American. James McBride Read Quote
When my mother left home, her family sat shivah for her, more because my father was not Jewish than because he was black. James McBride Read Quote
We would not have been a successful family without my father and stepfather, who were working-class men with better dreams for their children. We just wore them out. James McBride Read Quote
I understand it’s great to read a great book, but it’s better to live your life. It just helps me. It’s uncomfortable at times, but you have to live outside the circle. James McBride Read Quote
I think only now am I at the age where I’ve forgiven the past enough to say, ‘You know what? Slavery was there. Let’s talk about it in ways that will help us face tomorrow. James McBride Read Quote
My goal is to be able to fill out one of those forms that asks ‘Who are you?’ and be able to just put ‘Human being,’ you know? James McBride Read Quote
Essentially, I’m a storyteller, and I make my living by telling stories, be they music or nonfiction or fiction. James McBride Read Quote
A lot of people are not interested in stories in which they don’t see themselves. James McBride Read Quote
It would be nice if we redefined what we meant by ‘war story.’ If you’re making $15,000 a year living in a certain area of Portland, trying to make it with three kids and no husband, that’s a kind of war. James McBride Read Quote
The James Brown story is not about James Brown. It’s about who’s getting paid, whose interest is involved, who can squeeze the estate and black history for more. James McBride Read Quote
