"Their faces, like ebony masks edged in gold, were lit by the sun. Their arms, their bodies, their dreams, lay in the darkness below" (Part I, p. 4).

"[Muhammad Bilal] gathered what moisture he could from his parched throat, licked his lips, and whispered a vow to himself that he would live" (Part I, p. 6).

"In the soft glow of the fire Lizzy could see Saran's eyes, shining from the tears that brimmed them, wide with the strain of wondering what the white folks were going to do to Lem for running away" (Part II, p. 18).

"The way between the big house and the quarters, and then from the quarters to the fields, was all [Lizzy] had traveled during her thirteen years" (Part II, p. 27).

"Every black person who ain't dead sooner or later gets them a freedom dream" (Part II, p. 31).

"'Just be strong child,' Grandma Dolly...