"Elwood and Turner represent two different parts of my personality…There is the optimistic or hopeful part of me that believes we can make the world a better place if we keep working at it. Then there’s the pessimistic side, the cynical side that says no—this country is founded on genocide, murder, and slavery and it will always be that way. That’s our dilemma as human beings: How do we reconcile the hopeful with our pessimistic side? How do we reconcile disappointments with the small daily times that make up our lives? I don’t know than anybody else.… For the characters there’s the problem of, How do you come back from a life-changing catastrophe?...Bouncing back from trauma, you borrow from a sense of hope…but also recognize what you’ve gone through and what you’re up against."

Colson Whitehead Literature See all quotes by Colson Whitehead →

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