How we cite our quotes: (Story.Section.Paragraph) or (Story.Paragraph)
Quote #10
They were horrified if my friends were poor and black, disappointed in my taste if they were black and middle class, and embittered if they were white; where was my racial pride? (Source.162)
It seems that, growing up in a biracial family, Anastasia can't win. Outside in the world, "friends" don't know what to do with her: she's not "Black enough" for her Black friends, and she's too Black for white friends. At home, she encounters a different kind of exasperation: her parents are never satisfied with her companions. This intensifies her sense of never belonging anywhere.
Quote #11
"However, looking as I look, black wasn't special enough. It required two hours of explanation for every two seconds of joy." She paused again. "And it was two seconds." (Source.174)
Anastasia tries to explain her decision to identify only as white in public. Irene doesn't really react to the whole "black wasn't special enough" statement—but she definitely identifies with the lack of joy part. It's not an ideal situation for Anastasia, but claiming whiteness allows her to focus on all the other potentially awful things in her life (her words, not ours).