Homeward Quotes

“freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
― Angela Jackson-Brown, Homeward: A Novel

“The more I thought about all of this, the more I knew this for sure—until we were all free to choose, none us were free.”
― Angela Jackson-Brown, Homeward: A Novel

“Laughter was the key to everything in our family. If we could find the humor in things, we could find a way to push forward.”
― Angela Jackson-Brown, Homeward: A Novel

“The sin is never as much about the act itself but how we act after we sin.”
― Angela Jackson-Brown, Homeward: A Novel

“They weren’t here to stop my pain; they were here to bear witness to it.”
― Angela Jackson-Brown, Homeward: A Novel

“It was like I was birthing a baby all over again, but this time, the baby was grief, and they were my midwives.”
― Angela Jackson-Brown, Homeward: A Novel

“It seemed like I was constantly bombarding heaven with my pleas. I prayed somebody up there was listening.”
― Angela Jackson-Brown, Homeward: A Novel

“My daddy was a praying man whose faith knew no bounds. I had heard him say passionate prayers in church that caused other grown men to weep. This person sounded like his faith was weak or maybe nonexistent. This person scared me because my faith was wrapped up in Daddy’s and Mama’s faith. If their faith got weak, I didn’t know what would become of mine.”
― Angela Jackson-Brown, Homeward: A Novel

“That’s when the tears started. One tear at first. Then another. Then several more. And before I knew it, I was making sounds I had never heard come out of me before. It was like they were coming from my soul. I couldn’t stop myself and my wails and sobs got louder and louder. Grandma came over and Mama and Katie Bell, and they all put their hands on me and the baby. Nobody tried to tell me to stop. They just let me cry. It was too much for Daddy. He left out of the room sobbing himself. But my sisters, my grandmother, and my mama kept their hands on me, crying with me, like we were a chorus of weeping women. I heard the door open, and I felt more hands. All the women in my family were there. It was like I was birthing a baby all over again, but this time, the baby was grief, and they were my midwives. They weren’t here to stop my pain; they were here to bear witness to it.”
― Angela Jackson-Brown, Homeward: A Novel

“grace doesn’t come to us because we earned it. It comes to us because we need it.”
― Angela Jackson-Brown, Homeward: A Novel

“There are no bad jobs. If you do an honest day’s work, it doesn’t matter if you are a lawyer, a doctor, a nurse, or a nanny or a housekeeper. All we want from you children is dedication and pride in what you do.”
― Angela Jackson-Brown, Homeward: A Novel