“I look white to a lot of people. And I'm not. I'm African-American. I'm mixed. I like to call myself Mulatto because that definition fits. So, you know, I've dealt with the conflict my whole life between how I look and my actual ethnic and racial identity.” PeopleKnowsLooksWholeWhiteIdentityFitConflictDefinitionsWhole LifeAfrican AmericanRacial IdentityMulattoes Author:Mat Johnson
“We want our children to fit in and to stand out. We rarely address the conflict between these goals.” WantChildrenGoalFitConflictOur ChildrenExcellenceAddressesConformityStanding Out Book:Making Sense Source: Making Sense
“The true history of Vietnamese civilian suffering does not fit comfortably into America's preferred postwar narrative - the tale of a conflict nobly fought by responsible commanders and good American boys, who should not be tainted by the occasional mistakes of a few 'bad apples' in their midst.” ShouldDoeAmericaSufferingMistakeBoysFitConflictResponsibleTalesNarrativeApplesMidstCiviliansOccasionalCommandersVietnameseTaintedBad Apple Book:Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam Source: Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam
“Every novel deals with social problems. It can't help it because the protagonist must come in conflict with his group. So the author has to offer an analysis of how the group and the protagonist fit. Otherwise, the reader will just say, "This makes no sense," and will put it away.” HelpingProblemSocialDealsNovelGroupsReaderFitOffersConflictAnalysisProtagonistsSocial Problems Author:Jane Smiley
“The novel is a big space, and a lot can happen. Just think about the parts of your life. How do we account for our own contradictions? The only way to understand them is to let them exist, as truths that indicate something about character. People are built of elements that don't fit together - and the conflict of that is their essential drive.” PeopleThinkingCharacterTogetherNovelFitConflictContradiction Author:Rachel Kushner