Matt de la Pena

I used to be so angry about the kids that had stuff. Like the kids that had cars, the kids that had money to go get lunch every day off campus. I used to feel so slighted.

I'm ashamed to admit this, but I didn't read a novel all the way through until after high school. Blasphemy, I know. I'm an author now. Books and words are my world.

I was really drawn to spoken-word style poetry. I loved the rhythms, and for some reason, I was just drawn to this poetry as a way of expressing my feelings, because I didn't have any other outlet.

I would've done anything to work with Satyajit Ray.

All sides in a trial want to hide at least some of the truth.

There are only two families in the world, my old grandmother used to say, the Haves and the Have-nots.