“I feel myself the inheritor of a great background of people. Just who, precisely, they were, I have never known. I might be part Negro, might be part Jew, part Muslim, part Irish. So I can't afford to be supercilious about any group of people because I may be that people.”

CNN obituary (17 October 1997) http://www.cnn.com/US/9710/16/michener.obit/

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James A. Michener 55
American author 1907–1997

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