Spoiler Alert The Hero Dies Quotes

I was constantly in a rush to be somewhere other than where I was at in any given moment. And it was exhausting.

The emotional roller coaster of fear, hope, sadness, disappointment, and ultimately, abandonment haunts me to this day.

that signature incense-y church aroma instantly filled my nasal passages. I knew it well. It was the smell of guilt.

He can hear you. Talk to him. Tell him you love him. Assure him that you will be OK without him.

how Kit had confronted this entire year: with grace, courage, dark humor, and unquestionable fearlessness, right up until the end.

Please God—I beg you—let me die before Kit.

As I watched the ashes drift downstream, I felt outside my body for a moment. Like I was in a dream. Like I couldn’t possibly be depositing pieces of the person I had loved more than any human being ever into the Susquehanna River.

almost thirteen years ago

What you are about to read is the story of the first war on terror. No ... wait. This is actually the origin story of second-wave white supremacy known as "Jim Crow laws." This is a war narrative. This is a horror story, but it's also a suspense thriller that ends in triumph. It also ends in tragedy. It's a true story about a fantastic myth. This is a narrative, nonfiction account of the all-American fairy tale of liberty and justice for all. Behold, the untold story of the Great American Race War. Before we begin, we shall introduce our hero. The hero of this drama is Black people. All Black people. The free Blacks; the uncloaked maroons; the Black elite; the preachers and reverends; the doormen and doctors; the sharecroppers and soldiers—they are all protagonists in our epic adventure. Spoiler alert: the hero of this story does not die. Ever. This hero is long-suffering but unkillable. Bloody and unbowed. In this story—and in all the subsequent sequels, now and forever—this hero almost never wins. But we still get to be the heroes of all true American stories simply because we are indestructible. Try as they might, we will never be extinguished. Ever.