How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
My daughter Lakeisha came over with her son, and it was amazing seeing her in person for the first time since she was a baby. She had grown into a beautiful woman, and I was looking forward to getting to know her and my grandson. By the end of the day, I was filled with emotion at the outpouring of love and support from my family.(26.7)
This book is about redemption, and for Shaka one element of that is connecting with other people again, especially family.
Quote #8
When I had begun my transformation, back in the hole, I thought often about the kind of woman I desired to have in my life. I was changing as a man, and I had different needs than I had when I was a teenager slinging dope in Brightmoor. Now I wanted a woman who would challenge me to be the best I could possibly be. I wanted a woman who would love and nurture me; who had a determined spirit and would stand beside me as I fought the system for my release.(21.5)
When Shaka starts to date Ebony, he's grown to see the kind of woman he needs to build a strong relationship. Ebony embodies the strength and courage and love that he's looking for, which also helps when they're later ready to build a family together.
Quote #9
Watching Sekou grow, I realized that the desires I had expressed to the parole board were real— more than anything in the world, my dream was to give our son a better world than the one Ebony and I had inherited. And I also discovered that I couldn't have chosen a better coparent. Ebony's tenderness, thoughtfulness, and motherly instinct kept Sekou covered in a blanket of pure maternal love from the day he was born.(26.32)
Parenting just keeps encouraging Shaka to be the best person he can be. When his and Ebony's son Sekou arrives, he finds he's even more serious about making the world a better place than he realized. And Shaka falls even more in love with Ebony in the process.