He'd expressed racist ideas, but he hadn't invented them. Instead, his bent mind had seized on them and magnified them into obsessions."
-- Rita (chapter 15)

Importance: This quote shows Rita's thoughts about B.D., the gunman who shot her sister and her boyfriend at a Lebanese festival because of his hatred for Muslims and Arabs. The quote shows Rita's ability to move on from blaming B.D. as well as the influence of racist ideas in the United States post 9/11.

But seeing similar faces in Iraq had provoked other feelings in her. How could a face look so familiar yet also be a portal to poverty, displacement, terror, despair, bottomless depression, trauma, rage -- and, finally, empty resignation?
-- Rita (Prologue)

Importance: This quote shows Rita's feelings about the Iraqis she wrote about while she lived in the Middle East. It reveals the similarities between Iraqis and the rest of the characters in the book and also shows...