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She let out a breath. “Ashley, you’re the only person who has to live in your skin, and wake up with the consequences of your choices. That’s why you can’t let other people make the big choices for you. You have to do what it feels right to do, and you can’t let anybody stop you.” I heard the stifled smile again. “Not even me.”

— Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

The adult men in my community noticed my body was changing before I did, and they did not hesitate to keep me updated.

— Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

We wanted to be good, as all children do, but as young Black children learn sooner than others, we don’t all get the chance to be seen that way.

— Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

One time a boy told me my mother was ugly, and I fought him so hard I ended up with a reputation. Ashley Ford will fight boys. I liked that.

— Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

I was much more interested in bearing witness to all this freedom. Grown-ups seemed lighter at night, like their feet might hover an inch or two off the ground as soon as the sun went down. The later it got, the higher they flew.

— Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

Parents were different when their children slept, and I had become an expert at making myself invisible enough to watch the transformation.

— Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

As I attempted to drive this boy into the sandpit beneath his writhing body, I remembered my grandmother telling me, “I never lost a fight in my life, because I never stopped fighting until I won.”

— Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

My grandmother used to say, “What’s the point of living by everybody if you don’t want to see anybody?” I came from social people, and though I felt overwhelmed by their company, I was always glad to see them. My mother was often in a good mood when she had good company.

— Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

Kids can always tell the difference between adults who want to empower them, and adults who want to overpower them. She was the former.

— Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford