1) Alice Walker "In Search of our Mothers' Gardens"
Original Sentence:
"It is to my mother--and all our mothers who were not famous--that I went in search of the secret of what has fed that muzzled and often mutilated, but vibrant, creative spirit that the black woman has inherited, and that pops out in wild and unlikely places to this day."
My Sentence:
It is to my room--the room in which I spend most of my time--that I sauntered in pursuit of the peace-of-mind that has kept me sane and collected, but is hard to find and hold on to, that so many people have looked for, and that so many people can not find even to this day."
2) Alice Walker "Journey to Nine Miles"
Original Sentence:
"Jamaica is a poor country reduced to selling its living and dead while much of the world thinks of it as "real estate" and a great place to lie in the sun; but Jamaicans as a people have been seen in all their imperfections and beauty by one of their own, and fiercely affirmed, even from the grave, and loved."
My Sentence:
Samantha is a shy person forced to spend her nights alone reading and writing while the rest of the world goes to parties and has fun; but Samantha has been seen in all her insecurities and quirky antics by her best friend Jake and she is noticed, even though she might feel invisible, and loved.
3) Alice Walker "Beyond the Peacock"
Original Sentence:
"I remember only misery: going to a shabby segregated school that was once the state prison and that had, on the second floor, the large circular print of the electric chair that had stood there; almost stepping on a water moccasin on my way home from carrying water to my family in the fields; losing Phoebe, my cat, because we left this place hurriedly and she could no be found in time."
My Sentence:
I experienced only excitement: travelling to our beach house on Sanibel Island, Florida that had, on the back deck, a big round hot tub; finding a sand dollar on my way back from a leisurely stroll on the beach; spending time with Beth, my sister, as we let our worries float away and we got lost in the moment"