“The wild notes of tuba and trumpet and trombone rattled and hummed through the trees. In the first group of musicians, there were kids as young as fourteen playing the tuba and one kid who probably...”

“He turned around to see the bass drum popping and the horn sections pointing their instruments to the balconies and sending glorious notes to the rooftops.”

“A good crowd had formed along the sidewalk and the concrete ledge that bordered Louis Armstrong Park. The anticipation was dizzying...New Orleans had the big-boy parades and [Jackson & Billy] could...”

“Ive lived in this world a long time, and you cant change what you like, even if youd want to.”

“The only way he could truly stick out in New Orleans was if he were walking down the street on fire.”

“The morning sun in New Orleans felt like it was trying to make a point, convincing the old world to believe something new.”

“My past has not defined me, destroyed me, deterred me, or defeated me; it has only strengthened me.”

“Find your noble purpose and defeat any residue of fear.”

“Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.”

“One ought to hold on to one's heart; for if one lets it go, one soon loses control of the head too.”

“Everybody has a home team: Its the people you call when you get a flat tire or when something terrible happens. Its the people who, near or far, know everything thats wrong with you and love you an...”

“The more you condemn yourself for thinking or feeling a certain way, the more you feel stuck within your own body and mind.. What if you went the other way and embraced it so totally that it was as...”

“They kissed for the first time then in the cold spring rain, though neither one of them now knew that it was raining. Tristran's heart pounded in his chest as if it was not big enough to contain al...”

“You think fairy tales are only for girls? Heres a hintask yourself who wrote them. I assure you, it wasnt just the women. Its the great male fantasyall it takes is one dance to know that shes the o...”

“Some seasons later, the Princess of the kingdom was riding with her handmaiden on the edge of the dark woods. Though once she had been very ill, the Princess had recovered miraculously and was now ...”