Reviews and Comments

"One might well draw the conclusion, that a man prone to pacing is a man who will act judiciously -- given the unusual amount of time he has allocated to the consideration of causes and consequences, of ramifications and repercussions. But it had been the Count's experience that men prone to pace are always on the verge of acting impulsively. For while the men who pace are being whipped along be logic, it is a multifaceted sort of logic, which brings them no closer to a clear understanding, or even a state of conviction."

"What good is financial literacy training for people forced to choose the best bad option? Poverty isn't simply the condition of not having enough money. It's the condition of not having enough choice and being taken advantage of because of that."

"Consumers benefit from worker exploration, too. We can now, with a few clicks, summon Rides and groceries and Chinese takeout and a handyman, all at cut rates. We have become matters in this new servant economy, where an anonymized and unpaid workforce does the bidding of the affluent."

"The American poor, living as they do in the epicenter of global capitalism, have access to cheap, mass-produced goods... But what good is a toaster oven if you can't afford the electricity to power it or the kitchen in which to use it?"

”... the existence of our wine list runs counter to the ideals of the Revolution. That it is a monument to the privilege of the nobility, the effeteness of the intelligentsia, and the predatory pricing of speculators... A meeting was held, a vote was taken, an order was handed down... Henceforth, the Boyarsky shall sell only red and white wine with every bottle at a single price."

"It's almost impossible to look away, or not feel that special kind of guilty excitement in the worst, most greedy and indecent parts of yourself. This is why (...) the cruelest forms of reality TV and tabloid news and talk radio generate such numbers. But that doesn't mean the fascination is good, or even feels good. Aren't there parts of ourselves that are just better left unfed?"

"Nós somos convencidos por provas, mas, mais do que por provas, somos convencidos pela Narrativa que se cria em torno de qualquer coisa. Se a gente não gosta da Narrativa, nem as provas mais arrasadoras são capazes de nos fazer mudar de opinião."

"There was an opportunity to advance the ball, but we failed to do it as a state, collectively,” a frustrated McCalley says. “Persons with disability are still out of sight, out of mind, in this society."

"Nunca sé si estamos en México o La USA. Los dos tienen los mismos arbustos, hay Solitarios y algunos Peluches. En vez de árboles hay piedras..."

"Parecemos pura caja de fósforos. Palitos encima de otros palitos. Un pastel de gente. Yo soy la candela de arriba. El más chiquito de todos que va encima de la alfombra mágica. Soy Aladino y al fin crucé el desierto."

"“migrantes”, como nos llama la gente de acá. Es una palabra que cuesta decir. De “gran” a “tes” hay como una montaña que a mi lengua le cuesta escalar. Es una palabra que cae como agua salada en mi garganta. “Ustedes los migrantes son así”, “esos migrantes son asá”, migrantes, migrantes."

"Trato de recordar a qué olía Mamá Pati, pero no me acuerdo. Es lo que más me emociona de verla otra vez: recuperar su olor."

"Any precise meaning of self-governance is necessarily contextual, depending on who is involved and what kinds of say they seek. Likewise, I claim no fixed definition for democracy. I understand it as always a horizon, a longing for power shared equitably among participants, a destination that moves depending on where one stands."

"... tudo já estava de alguma forma em nossa mente, naquele galpão às escuras. A imaginação é o facho de lanterna que o percorre e revela o que está amontoado lá dentro."

"Your absence has made the life I have now possible. I'm which case, thank you. I didn't ask for more pain, but I received it -- you sent it -- and it changed me. Thank you."

"The thing about birds: If we knew nothing about jays or wrens or sparrows, we'd believe the trees were singing, as if each tree has is own song. The thing about this life: If we knew nothing of what was missing, what has been removed, it would look full and beautiful."

"A scar is a story about pain, injury, healing. Years, too, are scars we wear. I remember their stories."