“Did you ever, when you were little, endure your parents’ warnings, then wait for them to leave the room, pry loose protective covers and consider inserting some metal object into an electrical outlet?
Did you wonder if for once you might light up the room?
When you were big enough to cross the street on your own, did you ever wait for a signal, hear the frenzied approach of a fire truck and feel like stepping out in front of it?
Did you wonder just how far that rocket ride might take you?
When you were almost grown, did you ever sit in a bubble bath, perspiration pooling, notice a blow dryer plugged in within easy reach, and think about dropping it into the water?
Did you wonder if the expected rush might somehow fail you?
And now, do you ever dangle your toes over the precipice, dare the cliff to crumble, defy the frozen deity to suffer the sun, thaw feather and bone, take wing to fly you home?”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“God is love," she said. "And he respects love, whether it's between a parents, and child, a man and woman, or friends. I don't think he cares about religion one little bit. Live your life right. Love with all your heart. Don't hurt others, and help those in need. That is all you need to know. And don't worry about heaven. If it exists, you'll be welcome.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“in a woman's womb.
another chance.
to make the world better.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“Real love finds you once, if you're lucky.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“Love is only found in books”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“Some people never find love at all, count yourself blessed if it ever happens your way”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“Would I ever find forever love? Do I really want to, when forever was a word without meaning?”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“But, though I was very much in lust with him, I knew from the start we were nothing like "forever." Maybe because forever is such a scary place.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“You'll only find happy endings in books. Some books.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“Do you ever dangle your toes over the precipice, dare the cliff to crumble, defy the frozen deity to suffer the sun, thaw feather and bone, take wing to fly you home?”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“Me? Beautiful? I'm plain as cardboard.
That may be how you see yourself, but the rest of the world would be hard to agree. You shine brighter than the Milky Way.
Now there are those who might try to take that from you, but you don't have to give it away. Keep on shining Pattyn.
And when the right young man comes along, he'll love you all the more for giftin' this sad planet with your light.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“In my limited realm of experience, beginnings led to endings.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“I felt angry,
frustrated.
I felt I didn't belong, not in my
church, not in my home, not
in my skin.
Amidst the chaos, i felt
alone,
in need of a friend instead of
a sister, someone detached from
my world.
The "woman's role" theory
disgusted me.
I would soon be a woman, and I
knew I could never perform as
expected.
I was tired of my mom's submission
to her religion, to her husband's
sick quest for an heir,
to his abuse.
I was sick of my dad, of
reaching for
him as he fell farther away
from us and into the arms of
Johnnie WB.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“Something stirred beneath my skin, some being inside I'd only suspected existed, demon or angel, I couldn't say.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“Dad staggered in, eyes eerily lit.
The corners of his mouth foaming spit.
His demons planned an overnight stay.
Mom motioned to take the girls away.
hide them in their rooms, safe in their beds.
We closed the doors, covered our heads,
as if the blankets could mute the sounds of his blows
or we could silence her screams behind out pillows.
I hugged the littlest ones close to my chest,
till the beat of my heart lulled them to rest.
Only then did I let myself cry.
Only then did I let myself wonder why
Mom didn't fight back, didn't defend,
didn't confess to family or friend.
Had Dad's demons claimed her soul?
Or was this, as well, a woman's role?”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“The love of her life dissolved into dreams.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“God wasn't love, couldn't be love. Because for me, love was a corpse.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“You shine like the Milky Way. Now, there are those who might try to take that from you, but you don't have to give it away. Keep on shining.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“Later, Bishop Crandall dropped by
The house to give me a stern
reprimand. He sat across
the cluttered table,
playing with a paper clip.
'Your parents are worries about you, Pattyn.'
I was worried about myself.
But I wasn't about to let him
know it. "Really?"
'Really. What have you got to say for yourself? You've always been such a good girl.'
Good girl. Sit. Stay. Fetch.
Bristles rose up along my
spine. "Define good."
'I don't appreciate your attitude,
Pattyn. Fast and pray. Search your
soul for the inequities in your life.'
"Any inequity in my life
began when I was born
female. Can you fix that?"
'You'll have to fix that yourself,
by concentrating on the things
God expects of you.'
His two-faced rhetoric
was pissing me off. "You
mean like kissing your ass?"
He slammed his hand on the table.
'I will not listen to that sort
of language. Apologize!'
Behind me, I hear Mom
gasp. But I was on a roll.
"I'm sorry, Bishop
I'm sorry I ever believed
you might have something
worthwhile to say.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“But more importantly, you are a gift, to all who know you, whether or not they realize it. If they don't, they are blind. You have a special place in this world. All you hvae to do is find it.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“Communication
Was never big in my house.
We sat together over
dinner, but the only sound
you'd hear was crunching
and chewing and the little
ones asking for more, please.
We lived, all boxed up in
invisible containers. We
hardly knew the people
we called sister or father.
Jackie and I were the
exceptions to that rule.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“I was about six years old, still Daddy's little girl, even though Daddy couldn't care less about me.
How could I expect any man every would?”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“Do not give up on yourself, on the truths you have realized. Do not give in to those who would crush your dreams like nutshells. And never turn away from forever love.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“Defiance rose up like vomit.
I swung back and yelled,
"Don't ever do that again!”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“You think God would let a girl do something special?”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“I felt angry,
frustrated.
I felt I didn't belong, not in my,
church, not in my home, not
in my skin.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“One Time, One Day
between Davie and Roberta ,
I asked my mom why she persisted,
kept on having baby after baby,
She looked
at me, at a spot between my eyes,
blinking like I had suddenly fallen
crazy. She paused before answering
as if
to confide would legitimize my fears.
She drew a deep breath, leaned against
the chair. I touched her hand and I thought
she might
cry. Instead she put baby Davie in my arms
Pattyn, she said, it's a woman's role.
I decided if it was my role, I'd rather
disappear.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“If you've never shot a gun,
You can’t understand
how it feels in your hands.
Cool to the touch, all its venom
coiled inside, deadly,
like a steel-scaled serpent. Awaiting your bidding.
You select it’s prey… paper,
tin, or flesh. You lie in wait,
learn that patience is the killer’s
most trustworthy accomplice.
You choose the moment. What. Where. When. Decided.
But the how is everything.
You lift your weapon,
ease it into place, cock it,
to load it, knowing the
satisfying snitch means a bullet is yours to command.
Now, make or break,
it’s all up to you. You
aim knowing a hair either
way means bull’s-eye or miss.
Success or failure. Life or death.
You have to relax,
convince your muscles
not to be tense, not to betray
you. Sight again. Adjust.
Don’t become distracted by the heat of the hunt.
Instincts take over.
You shoot and adrenaline
screams as your target shreds
or the flesh drops. And for
one indescribable moment you are God.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“I had never kissed a boy, had never even considered that I might enjoy such an unclean thing, until literature opened my eyes.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
“Concentrate. Level the sight. Breathe in.
Ease the trigger. And relax?
BLAP! The can somersaulted across the sand.
Pride swelled till I thought I'd burst.
But my pride slipped at Dad's reality check.
Not bad. Pretty good, in fact. For a girl.”
― Ellen Hopkins, quote from Burned
Ellen Hopkins
Born place: in Long Beach, CA. , The United States
Born date March 26, 1955
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“Then take my hand. Let me carry you. It's my turn. Don't deny me that. Whatever I have . .”
― Mia Sheridan, quote from Finding Eden
“The heavy round face was looking at him, the hard look of a man who had also understood, who had seen all the stupidity, who knew, after all, that the gold stars were often mindless decoration, that the army was led not by symbols, but by the fallible egos and blind fantasies of men.”
― Jeff Shaara, quote from Gods and Generals
“The moment God is figured out with nice neat lines and definitions, we are no longer dealing with God.”
― Rob Bell, quote from Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith
“His mind is trying to catch the thought as a cat tries to catch a shadow.”
― Jerry Spinelli, quote from Loser
“It would be a desirable and enviable existence just to earn a decent wage at a worthwhile job and spend all one’s leisure hours improving one’s aesthetic appreciation. There is so much to appreciate, and it is all available for peanuts. One can plausibly aspire to seeing, hearing and reading everything that matters.”
― Clive James, quote from Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts
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