“I had not expected the gentle, tentative surge of gratitude I began to feel...for St. Paul's School, the spring, and the early morning. I needed the morning light and the warbling birds. I needed to find a way to live in this place for a moment and get the good of it. I had tried to hold myself apart, and the aloneness proved more terrible than what I had tried to escape.” EducationHigh SchoolComing Of AgeBlack HistoryAlonenessAfrican American AuthorsPrep School Book:Black Ice: A Memoir Source: Black Ice: A Memoir
“Not one thought entered my head that did not seem disloyal. I was ashamed, seeing their pride close up, as if for the first time, at how little I had accomplished, how much I had failed to do at St. Paul's. Somewhere in the last two years I had forgotten my mission. What had I done, I kept thinking, that was worthy of their faith? How had I helped my race? How had I prepared myself for a meaningful future? ... They were right: only a handful of us got this break. I wanted to shout at them that I had squandered it. Now that it's all over, hey, I'm not your girl! I couldn't do it.” EducationPrideHigh SchoolBlack HistoryAfrican American History Book:Black Ice: A Memoir Source: Black Ice: A Memoir
“How come you got to start making the bed the minute your feet hit the floor? You need to lighten up, girl. Live a little!' Then she'd laugh, delighted with herself and at my inability to be angry with her.” High SchoolBoarding SchoolBoarding Schools Book:Black Ice: A Memoir Source: Black Ice: A Memoir
