Today is my stop on the #NeverLookBackTour and I will be sharing my favorite quotes. This was a 5🔥 book and one I will always hold dear to my heart because it takes place in my current hometown NYC and Puerto Rico, both of which tie heavily to my identity. 🇵🇷 🌴 "You have to know your history before you can move forward. Some people say dwelling in the past can be a crutch, but you can't ignore it either. There has to be a fine balance." 🌴 "Pheus and I are products of a world where we are not meant to flourish, but we will. With every single obstacle put in front us we still persevere. We will thrive in spite of it." 🌴 "Puerto Rico is not a cursed island meant to be repeatedly ravished, be it from hurricanes or corrupt men or demented spirits." 🌴 "This world is filled with things outside of what is deemed reality. The horrors we are meant to take in every single day. Microaggressions. Blatant aggressions. Violence. Surviving the streets every day is a miracle. How does logic play into the everyday terrors we are meant to overcome?" 🌴 "Your skin color means you can't fail, means you are not allowed to make a mistake." All these quotes remind me about the resilience of my people. They tether me tighter to my identity and give me a sense of pride in being Puerto Rican because of all we have already overcome. The U.S. tries to kill us and break our spirit but la tierra del borinquen continues to rise up against the oppression. We continue to remind them that we are here and we aren't going anywhere and despite it all, we remain united and unwavering in our pride for our heritage and culture. The world seeks to tell us that we aren't worthy and our stories don't matter but it is important to hold on to the hope of our ancestors and claim our existence and power each and every day. We need to continue to craft our own narrative, not let the oppressive system dictate who we are and what we are meant to be. We will not die. #NeverLookBackTour #lilliamrivera #coloredpagestours #latinxreader #latinxbookstagram #latinxauthor #readlatinxbooks #latinxyaliterature #ownvoices #decolonizeyourfeed #weneeddiversebooks #bookdragon #bibliophile #bookworm #boricua (at Ridgewood Branch Queens Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGvIzY5gseI/?igshid=1dm26qtspmqyi