1
Have you heard, " he said "that many of our people believe if you know five colloquial expressions in their tribal language, they must always provide you with nourishment and shelter? But-" He paused as though to make sure she was paying attention. "But if you know fewer than five, they owe you not even a sip of water." She nodded, understanding his point, but he pressed it." Learn those five phrases, Miss Sweeney, " he said.Masha Hamilton
2
Besides, Fi was convinced that instinct could determine a body's literary needs, just as physical cravings pointed to dietary shortfalls. She'd experienced it herself more than once among the library's dense shelves; not knowing what she should read next, she'd wandered, sniffing slightly, palms open. When intuition hit, she felt a sensation she couldn't describe exactly: her hands seemed to know where to go. And when she reached, invariably she found exactly the book she needed at that moment - sometimes fiction, sometimes biography, sometimes a slim volume of obscure poetry.Masha Hamilton
3
The stories she'd read of others' lives over these last few months had left her with a greater appreciation for the thread of her own life.Masha Hamilton
4
I think I was always interested in the larger world, even as a kid, and my experiences as a journalist only heightened that interest. Covering conflict, I learned that though leaders often try to create a sense of "us" and "them, " the differences are not that delineated. I often felt like it was a whole bunch of "us, " with some of "them" scattered around. That made me feel that the borders we draw around ourselves are often artificial. .Masha Hamilton