I wanted to educate myself as fast as possible, and the fury of my desire was so tumultuous, I could not rest. I was drawn closer to Eileen Odell, and now, significantly enough, we were beginning to discuss some of the books she gave me to read.

About William Faulkner I asked: "Why is he so concerned with decay?"

Eileen said: "He writes about the South, where he lives. It is a dying world; it is decayed; so he wants us to know that it is futile to prop it up with a false foundation. The South was built on human slavery, but the slaves are stirring. They will be free and the South will collapse with its decadent institutions."

From America is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan