genre: non-fiction
In this non-fiction collection of essays, four writers who have come together over their love of Toni Morrison literature, use her books as a springboard to talk about race, identity and life in America. I really found this an interesting and powerful approach to discussing an author and how important her ideas are. I haven't read Morrison extensively since I was in college but it isn't necessary to know anything about her books to appreciate the deep ideas within this book, the authors always give context and meaning before drawing out the subtleties and interpretations that still have impact today. I liked that we also learned about the backgrounds of the authors (both black and white, gay and straight, American-born and immigrant) and how their own experiences affected their interaction with her work.
There is so much humanity here. Such a deep well of motherly love, of introspection, of acknowledging how race affects every minute detail in life - unless you're white. It is so important for me, as a white person, to read not just a lot but also read down into the measured depths of Black American life and love and history so that I can allow that richness to settle in, to try to understand the fear, the tide constantly fought against, the emotional energy that can be needed to learn to love one's self in a larger community that wants to exoticize or denigrate.
It truly does make me want to try reading Morrison again with my adult eyes and adult experiences. I have so much to learn.
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