Forbidden Quotes

“Your sweetness is so much stronger than their hate.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“Carry on, please. Women don’t usually take a skillet to his head and I’m anxious to witness it,”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“As he’d noted before, the decision to cross the color line had allowed him to reap many benefits, but it had cost him, too, and this time that decision would haunt him for the rest of his life.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“Lady Ruby was behind the long wooden bar. Her shoulder length red wig was slightly askew and she was wearing a voluminous silver wrapper on her tall large-boned frame. She was also sporting enough silver jewelry on her wrists and fingers to be officially declared a mine.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“Rhine laughed. “She bribed you?” “Sure did, and I took it like a politician at the state capital.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“This is your last chance, Rhine Fontaine.” “Understood. But I won’t be changing my mind.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“What are you doing in a fancy Yankee uniform?” Sally Ann asked. Rhine didn’t reply. As the silence lengthened, she offered a bitter chuckle. “Passing again, are you?” Rhine’s ivory skin, jet black hair, and green eyes made it easy for him to pass as someone he wasn’t. He was ten years old when he first realized he could do it successfully.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“We were barred last year as well,” Sylvie informed Eddy. “But it’s okay. We do our celebrating on August first anyway, just like the rest of the country’s Colored communities.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“Eddy dreamed of owning her own restaurant. It was a common belief that women like her, the descendant of slaves, had no right to dream.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“bigotry practiced by those outside the race was harmful enough without bigotry being meted out by those within.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“The brown paper bag test was well-known. Eddy always saw it as both shameful and ridiculous.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“Eddy guessed her to be middle-aged, but like most women of color she wore her age well.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“Once word got out about who he really was, he was sure Wally was going to be ecstatic over never having to publicly acknowledge him again.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“Even though he was glad they’d have a second chance, that chance wouldn’t be with him, and because it wouldn’t, sorrow rode him. Logically, he understood the state wanting them placed with people of their own race but his heart didn’t believe that should be the only measuring stick. What about caring and commitment? Admittedly, he knew next to nothing about child-raising, but he and the twins could have learned along the way. Maybe sometime in the future similar situations would be measured differently, but today in 1870, he’d be losing his boys.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“They forgot about us women!” When laughter broke out, she countered, “Do I look like I’m joking?”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“Beauty can blind you.” “But it shouldn’t make you stupid.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“She did look up then. “Do you always insult women with knives in their hands, Mr. Brown?”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“but if he did marry, the least he could do was honor his mother’s ultimate sacrifice by finding a woman who didn’t hold her and the Old Queens he was descended from in contempt. In some ways such a pledge made little sense to a man who’d left his race, but to Rhine it made all the sense in the world.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden

“Natalie Greer is as spoiled as a pan of milk set out in the sun.”
― Beverly Jenkins, Forbidden