“Generally the men always tried to appear strong; they walked tall, heads upright, arms steady at the sides, and feet firmly planted like trees. Solid, Jericho walls of men. But when they went out i...”

“Running and chanting, the word change in the air like it's something you can grab and put in your mouth and sink your teeth into.”

“Because we were not in our country, we could not use our own languages, and so when we spoke our voices came out bruised.”

“I am starting to talk fast now, and I have to remember to slow down because when I get excited, I start to sound like myself and my American accent goes away.”

“And they had nothing, except of course memories, their own, and those passed down by their mothers and mothers' mothers. A nation's memory.”

“this place doesn't look like my America”

“...I gave you painted air - tears I couldn't weep - truths I couldn't speak - all the words that caught in my throat...”

“He wept, and it felt as if the tears were cleansing him, as if his body needed to empty itself.”

“Prim, let go," I say harshly, because this is upsetting me and I don't want to cry. When they televise the replay of the reapings tonight, everyone will make note of my tears, and I'll be marked as...”