Toni Morrison and I

On Wednesday January 18, Clutch Magazine posted the article "4 Books You Should Reread"  by Danielle Pointdujour. The list included Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and it struck me as odd that I had never read this novel. 


At the time of reading Pointdujour's article, I was reading Morrison's Songs of Solomon, and I was in awe of Morrison's skill, her use of the language.  There was a music to the narrative and this was infused with African mythology and rhythmic movement as the tale charted the journey of the main character "Milkman" from his dislike and fear of his father and his disconnection from his ancestral roots to self-discovery and courage.   


After reading Songs and I made the decision to read The Bluest Eye.  The Bluest Eye is Morrison's first novel and it is the story of a young black girl, Pecola Breedlove who is described as ugly and who in internalizing the belief that she is indeed ugly; dreams, prays and wishes for blue eyes to the point of madness.  


The novel is essentially from the point of view of Claudia MacTeer, and is presented by Claudia as a child who is Pecola's contemporary and school mate, and Claudia as an adult reflecting on life in Lorain, Ohio (United States of America) during the years following the Great Depression.  However, there are  distinct moments where the narrator is the omnipresent third-person narrator.  


The Bluest Eye broke my heart and I cried for all the Black girls past, present and future who have, who are and who will be made to feel ugly because of the rich ebony of of their skin. 


I had borrowed Songs and The Bluest Eye and then Kingston Bookshop had its annual Yard Sale and I am blessed to have purchased a copy of  The Bluest Eye. 


Presently I am re-visiting Beloved. I read Beloved as part of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) Literatures In English, Prose Level 1. I loved the story and knew the lives of Sethe, Denver, Baby Suggs, the Garner men inside-out. In re-reading this tale I am now in far better position to appreciate the physical, psychological, emotional, sexual and metaphysical effects of slavery from which the story rests upon and seeks to confront. 

Toni Morrison

                                                             

                                  

After reading these three novels by Morrison I am truly inspired to write. I need to tell the stories I know, while creating the book I would want to read and infusing the histories I have have learnt.  


In this Black History Month 2012, I want to thank Toni Morrison for writing, teaching, inspiring  and creating.