I still remember many things about the man. ‘He had plenty of goatees and a big pair of eyeglass, the colour of brown water. He was sitting in an office chair, which unintentionally swung him back and front, revealing his large stomach. As if he had perfectly balanced my age with my height, he asked me to raise my right hand above my head and touch my left ear. Pg. 12, Still Owing Me Goodbye

This land has brought forth numerous children, favouring both the bad and the good ones. It is not the land that is responsible for the people’s hardships, it is the people themselves. Pg.8

Ho visto Amende…! E’ nella Foresta del Male. Ho visto anche Ikpea. Pg.81-82

Sei tu che hai bisogno di andare, Amende. Va’ a casa; i tuoi amici ti aspettano”, disse Ikpea. Pg.74

Mi piacerebbe essere come te, Pa. Mi piacerebbe non aver paura, per tutta la vita! Pg.67

Asciuga le tue lacrime, donna, il ragazzo verrà ritrovato. Nessuno può fargli nulla…,” Okokpujie scompigliò i capelli di Etusi e si allontanò. Pg.48

Questa terra ha cresciuto numerosi figli, favorendo sia quelli buoni che quelli cattivi. Non è la terra la responsabile delle avversità della gente, è la gente stessa”, raccontava Okokpujie, il cantastorie del villaggio, a una folla di bambini accorsi come sempre ad ascoltarlo. Pg.16

Tell me my little children, what crime has this lizard committed that it must die this evening?” There was silence. In raising my head like a joke, I tried to laugh. That was the same time I realized that grandma was dead serious with us.Pg.26

Twenty good friends cannot live together in twenty good years”. We were more than twenty who left the school and the simple statement was beginning to echo hard in my ear, as if grandma actually had that particular day in mind. Pg.100

Dry your tears, woman, the boy will be found. Nobody can do him anything…” Gradually, the tears began to dry from Etusi’s eyes, thanks to Okokpujie’s words, a mighty force that swung the entire village to action. Pg.38