"Outside on the playground, sitting alone at recess, I learned to hate being Asian. I wanted desperately, more than anything, to be white." (Kim)

Even though it looks like both Wes Moores had similar upbringings (being raised by a single parent, had trouble with school, and interactions with the justice system), they were raised in different cultures, one in a culture of crime, while the other in a culture of learning. (from The Destinies of Two Men Who Share One Name)

“As a kid I understood that people were different colors, but in my head white and black and brown were like types of chocolate. Dad was the white chocolate, mom was the dark chocolate, and I was the milk chocolate. But we were all just chocolate.” (Noah 42)

“It's easy to be judgmental about crime when you live in a world wealthy enough to be removed from it. But the hood taught me that everyone has different notions of right and wrong, different definitions of what constitutes crime, and what level of crime they're willing to participate in. If a crackhead comes through and he's got a crate of Corn Flakes boxes he's stolen out of the back of a supermarket, the poor mom isn't thinking, 'I'm aiding and abetting a criminal by buying these Corn Flakes.' No. She's thinking, 'My family needs food and this guy has Corn Flakes', and she buys the Corn Flakes.” (Noah 150)

We form our identity from the memories we have, which come from our experiences. Traveling allows us to have many different experiences, and form a more accurate identity from a diverse set of memories. (from What Your Most Vivid Memories Say About You)

Trevor makes some money from his CD business, and this allows him to buy some things for himself, like fast food and a cordless cell phone. However, he still has very little opportunities since he is still quite poor. (from Born a Crime)