“This is [her] soul group.’What do you mean?’It’s a group of souls with whom she resonates closely.”

“Most whites do not have a racial identity, but they would do well to understand what race means for others. They should also ponder the consequences of being the only group for whom such an identity is forbidden and who are permitted no aspirations as a group.”

“We must resist in-group thinking and practice seeing every soul as a brother or sister in a larger grouping of humans on earth.”

“Lifting her head, she joined in as the others in the group began to howl in response to Brace's triumph. The sound was . . . It touched the soul, the music haunting, starkly pure and yet so very earthy.”

“Under what circumstances is it moral for a group to do that which is not moral for a member of that group to do alone?”

“What do you think my chances might be of finding a soul mate in the group of you? I'll be lucky if I can just find someone who'll be able to stand me for the rest of our lives. What if I've already sent her home because I was relying on some sort of spark I didn't feel? What if she's waiting to leave me at the first sign of adversity? What if I don't find anyone at all? What do I do then, America?”