“No. The smile had left Sarahs voice. He still works for the Basij. Beware of weak men, little sister. He never returned to help, not even to express condolences for Father. Find a strong man. Get a...”

“Being articulate is no guarantee of intelligence, Zoe said. Im not doubting the value of education. Im doubting its reach. Highly educated politicians still do stupid things. Anthony Weiner was edu...”

“Zoe stopped one last time in front of the mirror, adjusting her new American dress. She didnt see the dress, however. She saw what the big Russian did to her. She saw what al-Qaeda did to her. She ...”

“Zoe did what civilized people do when they freak out: she drank tea. She had walked from her little bungalow to Coffee & Tea. It was always filled with the well-educated, the complicated, the peopl...”

“Saul had gained his six-foot frame at sixteen, but his muscles didnt arrive until his early twenties. Between those lost years, he was a gangly, uncoordinated klutz. He was told that he could impro...”

“Zoe leaned closer to Ruth, nearly nose to nose. If they were made from better stuff, they would have pretended the fault was theirs. They would have made a moment of it--a pretty moment.”

“Saul had gained his six-foot frame at sixteen, but his muscles didnt arrive until his early twenties. Between those lost years, he was a gangly, uncoordinated klutz. He was told that he could impro...”

“Zoe leaned closer to Ruth, nearly nose to nose. If they were made from better stuff, they would have pretended the fault was theirs. They would have made a moment of it--a pretty moment.”

“Civil order mattered. Zoe didnt know why Farah continued to wear the headscarf, but most Middle-Eastern women wore modest clothing to anchor themselves to a moral order, in an upside-down world. Zo...”

“You have the right to promote your own happiness just like everyone else, just like me. Your present dream has been shattered, but you can dream another. You should know that 'you can't relive old ...”

“And then it occurs to me. They are frightened. In me, they see their own daughters, just as ignorant, just as unmindful of all the truths and hopes they have brought to America. They see daughters ...”

“What happens when a hundred thousand people memorize the same poem? Does anything change?”