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Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina QUOTES

Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina QUOTES

1 " The truth is usually left for us to hunt and gather independently, if we are so inclined. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

2 " This thing I am feeling, I’m almost certain, is the closest I’ll ever come to standing somewhere in between truth and reconciliation. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

3 " Come to think of it, maybe God is a He after all, because only a cruel force would create something this beautiful and make it inaccessible to most people. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

4 " Individually, every grain of sand brushing against my hands represents a story, an experience, and a block for me to build upon for the next generation. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

5 " If Aphrodite chills at home in Cyprus for most of the year, then Fez must be the goddess’s playground. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

6 " I have never bought into the idea that blood is thicker than water. Love and respect are meant to be earned from our children, our spouses, our families, and our friends. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

7 " When we illuminate the road back to our ancestors, they have a way of reaching out, of manifesting themselves...sometimes even physically. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

8 " Even the juncture in history and the zeitgeist we live in is something we choose, setting the scene for the spiritual fodder we need to grow and achieve deeper elevation of our souls. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

9 " While America will always, I think, feel foreign to me, New York City is my home. This is where I can construct my own identity freely and reject labels imposed on me. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

10 " If it weren’t for her setting me free, I may still be a caged bird today, holding my own daughter captive on a shit-laden perch. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

11 " For some, excavating the past isn’t an adventure, it’s more akin to tearing a Band-Aid off an open wound. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

12 " I think Dad wanted to feel the pain, to feel his body cry, an urgent reminder that he was still alive. I pretended not to notice. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

13 " More than anything, this place feels familiar. I bury my hands in the hot sand and think about the embodiment of memory or, more specifically, our natural ability to carry the past in our bodies and minds. Individually, every grain of sand brushing against my hands represents a story, an experience, and a block for me to build upon for the next generation. I quietly thank this ancestor of mine for surviving the trip so that I could one day return. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

14 " I wish she’d said something different, but patriarchy is as prevalent around the world as racism and xenophobia are. We can’t hide from it, not even here. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

15 " Globalization by the way of McDonald’s and KFC has captured the hearts, the minds, and from what I can see through the window, the growing bellies of the folks here. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

16 " To me, travel is more valuable than any stupid piece of bling money can buy. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

17 " Hip-hop...has been the proverbial key that’s opened the door for me to roam this breathtaking planet. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

18 " The past is buried deep within the ground in Rabat, although the ancient walls in the old city are still standing, painted in electrifying variations of royal blue that make the winding roads look like streamlets or shallow ocean water. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

19 " I fall in love with Paraíso. It’s like a giant playground where I’m never scolded for running around recklessly, where I’m almost overwhelmed with the amount of attention and love I receive from Mami’s family. In New York, I’m invisible. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

20 " Lately, Mami’s eyes have been so dark, I don’t like looking into them because I’m afraid I’ll fall in. "

― Raquel Cepeda , Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina