The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

I am showcasing books by prominent black authors for Black History Month. Today’s feature is one of my absolute favorite books, The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison. Ms. Morrison passed last year. It was hard because she made me want to be a writer.

Here is my copy of her book, I got at 13. I know what you’re thinking: why don’t you get a new copy? The answer is simple. I don’t want a new copy.

But I encourage you to get your new copy. The Bluest Eye was Toni’s first novel. It’s about an African American girl who longs for blue eyes, hoping it will ease her domestic hell. It’s painful, tender, and morose. Ms. Morrison tells the tale, like one long poem. Her prose is deep, shiny, and mentally sticky.

Please let me know how you like it, if you read it. Get the book here.

I’m pleased to announce the release of my 8th book, Skoll’s Diary.

Africans and African Americans left Earth in 1900, and went to another planet in The Milky Way to escape mistreatment…

It’s now the year 3005 on that terraformed planet. We get a peek into the life of a bright and sensitive teenaged boy, Skoll, through his journal. He loves his world, but is curious about life on Earth. Then suddenly, an epic event casts him in the middle of a difficult decision.  The fate of the planet’s community is in his hands.

Get the book here. I’d appreciate your leaving a review if you read it. Thanks in advance!

Toni Morrison: A Tribute

I was deeply saddened by the death of literary genius, Toni Morrison, last week. She is the reason that I am a writer. My goodbye letter to one of the most prolific writers I have ever read:

Dear Toni,

I met you when I was 13. My mother’s book club was reading The Bluest Eye, and passed it on to me after she was done with the copy. I couldn’t believe how you took such disturbing subject matter and made it poetic, compelling, and even humorous at times. Those gems at the heart of such a painful tale hooked me to your lyrical style. I still have that copy from 1985. It’s falling apart. People tell me to get a new copy, but I can’t. It’s like the first present your soulmate ever gave you, and you won’t part with it.

 

I followed you through Beloved, Song of Solomon, and Sula, and Love. Even though Oprah’s movie version of Beloved didn’t do well in theaters, I was still in awe of how it bolstered your ability as a storyteller. You were the camp counselor, telling me a story by a campfire, and I was a rapt child, slack-jawed with attention.

You famously said that you should write a book that you don’t see on shelves, and that is just what I do. You didn’t get published until you were 39, and I didn’t until I was 38. You put the pen in my hand, and made me believe in myself, as a storyteller.

Your death last week was hard to take. I totally understand that you had been called home because you were done here, but I will miss you and your fantastic tales. Maybe I will see you in the next life. We can have coffee and talk books.

Sincerely,

Sean

The Bluest Eye remains one of my favorite Toni Morrison books. Find out more about it here.

Sean C. Wright is the author of 8 books. For more information about her writing skills and how she can assist you with yours–business or consumer–visit https://seanarchy.wordpress.com.

 

I’m pleased to announce the release of my 8th book, Skoll’s Diary.

Africans and African Americans left Earth in 1900, and went to another planet in The Milky Way to escape mistreatment…

It’s now the year 3005 on that terraformed planet. We get a peek into the life of a bright and sensitive teenaged boy, Skoll, through his journal. He loves his world, but is curious about life on Earth. Then suddenly, an epic event casts him in the middle of a difficult decision.  The fate of the planet’s community is in his hands.

Get the book here. I’d appreciate your leaving a review if you read it. Thanks in advance!