How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Line)
Quote #4
If Jesus came back to this world—I don't know what I'd want from him. I know what I'd ask, though. I'd say, "Mr. Jesus, I'm sorry to bother you but I have a question. I wanted to know how do you have hope?" I'd want to know how do you have hope when there's always a Trevor somewhere kicking at somebody. When there's always a mama somewhere who maybe wasn't thriving. (7.18)
Frannie gets that you're supposed to be hopeful and optimistic all the time, but she doesn't understand how that's possible. The truth of the matter is that she sees a lot of terrible stuff going on, and she doesn't know if she can be hopeful in the face of all this bad news.
Quote #5
For some reason, we just all three sat for a long time like that without saying anything else. After a while, I felt myself relaxing a little. It felt like there was a hundred million things being said all at the same time. Only you didn't need words or signs or face expressions to say them with." (11.39)
The nice thing about being around people who love you is that they often understand you, even if you're not saying anything. That's how Frannie feels when she's around her grandma and her brother.
Quote #6
I wanted to say, Because Samantha saw the real Jesus in the Jesus Boy and maybe I want to see that too. I wanted to tell Mama that Samantha always seemed to be walking around all hopeful and sure of the something better coming. I wanted to tell Mama about the boy's eyes, how they took in every single thing and didn't change. (12.49)
Frannie may not think that Jesus Boy is actually Jesus, but she wants to have some of that same wonder and belief in the miraculous that Samantha always carries around. Maybe it doesn't matter if you get proof that a miracle happened—maybe it just matters that you can believe.