“Telling my story was supposed to be a good thing but it had just made everything worse.”

“I was so tired of his being even-keeled in the face of all that was upsetting and ugly and illogical.”

“Some people say the Balkans is just inherently violent. That we have to fight a war every fifty years.""I hope that's not true", I said.”

“The realization that my parents, too, felt pain and fear frightened me more than any strangers could.”

“I'd studied English since the first grade but considered it a murky language, one whose grammar seemed to have been made up on the fly”

“I tried to think of a singularly American superstition. I'd learned a few from the Uncles—something about not letting one's shoes touch the kitchen table—but those were all imported from the Old Wo...”

“Its hard to stay up. Its been a long long dayAnd you've got the sandman at your door. But hang on, leave the TV on and lets do it anyway.Its ok. You can always sleep through work tomorrow. Ok?Hey, ...”

“The waters of the stream played the part of the orchestra, and the sunlight provided the dancers. Every now and then a crescendo of wind highlighted the symphony in the clearing by the creek.”

“Dont get stressed over the little things and make sure you live life to the fullest.”