Each book I write is a shout into the silence and a prayer and a plea for change.
Interpretation
The quote expresses the author's desire for their writing to invoke change and connect with others in profound ways.
Jacqueline Woodson's quote highlights the powerful role of literature and writing as a means of communication and expression. It reveals how each book serves not only as a personal testament of the author's thoughts and feelings but also as a call to action, inviting readers to reflect and consider possibilities for change in their own lives and the world around them. The metaphor of a 'shout into the silence' signifies the urgency and importance of their message in a world that often overlooks individual voices.
In practice
In a discussion about the impact of literature on society.
'Brown Girl Dreaming' was a book I had a lot of doubts about - mainly, would this story be meaningful to anyone besides me? My editor, Nancy Paulsen, kept assuring me, but there were moments when I was in a really sad place with the story for so many reasons. It wasn't an easy book to write - emotionally, physically, or creatively.
In the midst of observing the world and coming to consciousness, I was becoming a writer, and what I wanted to put on the page were the stories of people who looked like me.
Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. And sometimes the world feels all right and good and kind of like it's becoming nice again around you. And you realize it, and realize how happy you are in it, and you just gotta laugh.
I don't want anyone to walk through the world feeling invisible ever again.
The strength of my mother is something I didn't pay attention to for so long. Here she was, this single mom, who was part of the Great Migration, who was part of a Jim Crow south, who said, 'I'm getting my kids out of here. I'm creating opportunities for these young people by any means necessary.'
I would have written 'Brown Girl Dreaming' if no one had ever wanted to buy it, if it went nowhere but inside a desk drawer that my own children pulled out one day to find a tool for survival, a symbol of how strong we are and how much we've come through.
I think Dr. King would be pleased to see the number of elected officials of color - African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and progressive whites.
Don't think about making women fit the world -- think about making the world fit women."
We are going through the eye of the needle; make sure you leave what you don't need behind
The solution of this country's problems lies in black hands.
It's early days. A few skeletons are bound to keep jumping out of the closet.
Time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life.
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