He was in Poland to participate in the NATO conference, President [Barack] Obama did respond well to the back-to-back killings, as well as to the attacks on Dallas police officers that followed.

There's no great, white bigot; there's just about 200 million little white bigots out there.

History belongs to she who holds the pen...If we don't tell our stories, they won't be told.

When public policy is directed toward urban spaces, it is directed toward people who sit at the margins.

Black child poverty is higher. As I write in the epilogue, "Yes we can. No he didn't. President [Barack] Obama didn't push black people backward, but he missed the opportunity to move us forward."

Frankly, I'd love to see a multiparty system, like we have in some of our European countries. But I'm not sure how to get there.

If people don't know about you, that's not on them, it's on you.

George W. Bush is evil. He is a terrorist. He is evil. He is arrogant. And he is out of control.

President [Barack] Obama's pick of Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education was abysmal.

If past behavior is any indication, Donald Trump's behavior would not be acceptable.

We have a very large military community - veterans and others - who basically do believe in the militarism.

An inch of time on the sundial is worth more than a foot of jade.

Who knows how long this will last, now we've come so far so fast.

We all pretend to be very strong, and then in a fraction, you can just break down, at least for me.

Christ became one of us to redeem all of us.

Dying is a really hard way to learn about life.

I always try and find new things to think about and address. That really opens you up as a writer. I can write a lot of what I feel and it helps put it into clearer perspective.

You don't stumble upon your heritage. It's there, just waiting to be explored and shared.

I do find it a bit disconcerting when your name becomes a brand.

Our children are the cement of life, its up to us to make the foundation of the future!

My favorite book is anything by Kurt Vonnegut - he's my literary hero. I got to meet him several times, which was a great thrill for me. I don't really remember what we talked about.