“The humble little school library ... was a ramp to everythingin the world and beyond, everything that could be dreamed andimagined, everything that could be known, everything that could be hoped.”

“You're a child, right? You have school? Is there anyway you could... reschedule school for another day?”

“He looked into the crowd for approval, saw his mother and father. He waved and they waved back. Smiles and Indian teeth. They were both drunk. Everything familiar and welcome. Everything beautiful.”

“Kyung-sook's mother had taken it as an example that even if you started with nothing, with enough studying, one could accomplish everything.”

“In all those stories, I could fly.”

“For the rest of our lives, all we can hear are our names chanted over and over, until we are deaf to everything else.”

“Show the world that you've what it takes to get past everything it throws out at you.”