"My parents’ convictions, when it came to discipline, were not very strong. For my bar mitzvah, I gave out a mixtape of ’90s grunge — if you got it now, you would think it was the Singles soundtrack. And the last song on it was “Freedom” by Rage Against the Machine, which has a minute of Zack de la Rocha screaming, “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me!” Suspended, instantly. Hebrew day school. They’re all up in your biz."

"My favorite film of the eighties. Maybe Marlon Brando in Last Tango in Paris and Robert De Niro in Raging Bull can compare with Bob Hoskins’s performance here, but very few others can. Who else could have fully mined the depths of unrequited love and authentic heartbreak while wearing a pair of glittery, heart-shaped sunglasses? Who else could have so completely personified the rage, hope, humor, pathos, and cruel decency at the heart of Neil Jordan’s dreamy masterpiece? No one. Absolutely no one."

"I loved Olive first time around, and I love her even more as she beats back increasing old age with sarcasm, rage, and a noble, unflinching honesty. I live in Maine, as Olive does. I’d give anything to hear her thoughts of the hoarding of toilet paper. I don’t think for a minute she’d welcome any overture of friendship from me, even in these tough times; still, I admire her for her caustic and courageous observations. I wanted this book to go on and on."