Home > Author > Imbolo Mbue
101 " Betty called minutes after he left. “Now I understand why some women choose to marry other women,” she said "
― Imbolo Mbue , Behold the Dreamers
102 " On that day in May 2006, she finally became a respectable woman, a woman declared worthy of love and protection "
103 " We cannot go around worrying about what the judge is going to decide. We just have to keep living. "
104 " That sounds like something that would happen in India,” Winston said. “No one does anything like that in Cameroon. "
105 " It does not show respect for a woman, sir. A man has to go to a woman’s family and pay bride-price for her head, sir. And then take her out through the front door. I had to show I am a real man, sir. Not take her for free as if she is…as if she is something I picked on the street. "
106 " You’re going to graduate high school with A grades and go to a good college and become a doctor or a lawyer. "
107 " But I thought you said you like children, Professor, "
108 " Ultimately, she grew quiet and went to bed defeated, because there was nothing she could do. He had brought her to America. He paid her tuition. He was her protector and advocate. He made decisions for their family. Sometimes he conferred with her about his decisions. Most times he did what he deemed best. Always she had no choice but to obey. That was what he expected of her. "
109 " a man’s anger is often no more than a safe haven for his cowardice. "
― Imbolo Mbue , How Beautiful We Were
110 " The only difference between the Egyptians then and the Americans now, Jende reasoned, was that the Egyptians had been cursed by their own wickedness. They had called an abomination upon their land by worshipping idols and enslaving their fellow humans, all so they could live in splendor. They had chosen riches over righteousness, rapaciousness over justice. The Americans had done no such thing. "
111 " They drove to the Chelsea Hotel at least a dozen times in the first five weeks after Lehman fell. Clark "
112 " Stay away from any place where you can run into police—that’s the advice I give to you and to all young black men in this country. The police is for the protection of white people, my brother. Maybe black women and black children sometimes, but not black men. Never black men. Black men and police are palm oil and water. You understand me, eh? "
113 " she had traveled to America only to be reminded of how powerless she was, "
114 " Always, he verified with the person on the phone that the girl would do the acts she had promised to do on the website. "
115 " He had no right to ask questions. Sometimes when Clark reentered the car he made remarks about the weather, the Yankees, the Giants. Jende always responded quickly and agreed with whatever the boss said, as if to say, it’s okay, sir, it’s perfectly all right, sir, what you’re doing. "
116 " American government does not care whether you are a one-day-old baby who was brought here and ended up illegal or whether you were blindfolded and tossed into a shipping container and woke up to find yourself in Kansas City. You hear me? American government doesn’t give the tiniest piece of shit whose fault it is. Once you are here illegally, you are here illegally. You will pay the price. "
117 " Clark was going to stammer and quickly mutter a lie, which Cindy would not believe. Cindy would start a fight, maybe their third fight of the day, and tomorrow Jende’s ears would be subjected to more cringe-inducing details about their marriage. And poor Clark, as if he wasn’t suffering enough, would have one more battle to fight. "
118 " America might be flawed, but it was still a beautiful country. "
119 " Why are you guys acting like little children? Life is hard everywhere. You know that maybe it will get better one day. Maybe it will not get better. Nobody knows tomorrow. But we keep on trying. "
120 " It is not easy for a woman, any woman, madam. It is hard for my wife, too, with me not coming home until late most of the time, and sometimes I have to work weekends. But she understands that I have to do this to take care of the family, just as Mr. Edwards has to. "