The Watsons Go to Birmingham Quotes

“We’d seen the pictures of a bunch of really mad white people with twisted-up faces screaming and giving dirty finger signs to some little Negro kids who were trying to go to school. I’d seen the pictures, but I didn’t really know how these white people could hate some kids so much.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever know what to do when I’m a grown-up. It seems like you and Momma know a lot of things that I can never learn. It seems real scary. I don’t think I could ever be as good a parent as you guys.”

“I couldn’t believe my eyes! Byron’s mouth was frozen on the mirror! He was as stuck as a fly on flypaper!”

“It’s no wonder the neighbors called us the Weird Watsons behind our backs.”

“And I’m sure there was an angel in Birmingham when Grandma Sands wrapped her little arms around all of the Weird Watsons and said, ‘My fambly, my beautiful, beautiful fambly.‘”

“But I was kind of surprised that God would send a saver to me in such raggedy clothes.”

“Byron was the only person in the world who could make you feel sorry for someone as mean as Larry Dunn.”

“I don’t think they’re sick at all, I think they just let hate eat them up and turn them into monsters.”

“I guess I should have told Momma that I really appreciated her helping me get my friend back but I didn’t have to. I was pretty sure she already knew.”

“That’s when he came swimming real slow out of the deep, and even though my head was underneath the dark water I could see him coming right at me. . . Where he should have had a face there was nothing but dark gray. Where he should have had eyes there was nothing but a darker colder-looking color. He grabbed my leg and started pulling me down.”