@翻了个译Sometimeswereadtounderstandthefuture.Sometimeswereadtounderstandthepast.Wereadtogetlost,toforgetthehardtimeswe'relivingin,andwereadtorememberthosewhocamebeforeus,wholivedthroughsomethingharder.Iwriteforthosesamereasons.BeforecomingtoBrooklyn,myfamilylivedinGreenville,SouthCarolina,inasegregatedneighborhoodcalledNicholtown.Allofustherewerethedescendantsofapeoplewhohadnotbeenallowedtolearntoreadorwrite.Imaginethat:thedangerofunderstandinghowlettersformwords,thedangerofwordsthemselves,thedangerofaliteratepeopleandtheirstories.Butagainstthisbackdropofbeingthreatenedwithdeathforholdingontoanarrative,ourstoriesdidn'tdie,becausethereisyetanotherstorybeneaththatone.Andthisishowithasalwaysworked.Foraslongaswe'vebeencommunicating,there'sbeenthelayeringtothenarrative,thestoriesbeneaththestoriesandtheonesbeneaththose.Thisishowstoryhasandwillcontinuetosurvive.AsIbegantoconnectthedotsthatconnectedthewayIlearnedtowriteandthewayIlearnedtoreadtoanalmostsilencedpeople,IrealizedthatmystorywasbiggerandolderanddeeperthanIwouldeverbe.Andbecauseofthat,itwillcontinue.Amongthesealmost-silencedpeoplethereweretheoneswhoneverlearnedtoread.Theirdescendants,nowgenerationsoutofenslavement,ifwell-offenough,hadgoneontocollege,gradschool,beyond.Some,likemygrandmotherandmysiblings,seemedtobebornreading,asthoughhistorysteppedoutoftheirway.Some,likemymother,hitchedontotheGreatMigrationwagon--whichwasnotactuallyawagon--andkissedtheSouthgoodbye.
