Dr. Strange Beard (Winston Brothers, #5)

by Penny Reid

It’s as though folks need to remind themselves of their own worth, and they do this through telling and retelling their favorite eleven or twelve stories, the anecdotes that fundamentally define who they are.

“He pulled over your Uncle Juan for no reason. He pulled over this wonderful woman just because of her skin color. Don’t be like this man, Bethany. See people, see their differences, rejoice in those differences, but don’t judge folks for something as stupid as the ability to absorb vitamin D. Racists are ignorant assholes.”

“Our memory is a more perfect world than the universe: it gives back life to those who no longer exist.” Guy de Maupassant

My heart leapt. To my throat. It remained there, unwilling to behave no matter how I chanted for it to calm down, because down is up and up is purple. The sky is drawer. The moon is goat.