Every month, Philly PR Girl is featuring an amazing female author. We’re recognizing a variety of female authors from small and local to classic and legendary… and everyone in between! To kick things off with a bang -and to continue our Black History Month features- we’re highlighting a Pulitzer Prize winner and legendary Black female author. You’ve heard of her, but have you read her most notable works? That’s right, Philly PR Girl is highlighting Toni Morrison.
Morrison is an American writer most notable for her works where she speaks on behalf of the Black community, as well as her own experiences as a Black Woman. She has even received the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction and the Nobel Prize for Literature.
The Bluest Eye (1970)
The Bluest Eye was Morrison’s first book ever published. The novel takes place shortly after The Great Depression and follows a young Black girl, Pecola, who is convinced she is ugly due to the color of her skin and spends the majority of the book desiring blue eyes as she equates that with “whiteness”. Throughout the story, the point of view switches between Pecola and Claudia. Pecola has an unstable family relationship and Claudia has a stronger one. Both struggle with race insecurity however, the contrasting point of views serve to show the importance family and cultural identity play into how you view yourself as a person. This classic from the ’70s is a page-turner that has pulled on readers’ heartstrings for decades.
Song of Solomon (1977)
Song of Solomon is another popular book by Morrison that helped to skyrocket her career. The story is told by a male narrator, Milkman, who has spent most of his life culturally and emotionally detached. It follows Milkman as he learns more and more about his identity through four generations of characters. At the start of his quest, he is told that a special inheritance awaits him at his late fathers’ town of Shalimar. Throughout the journey, he learns more about his ancestors until finally, he reaches Shalimar where he is met with his father’s “people”. Here is where he discovers the true spiritual meaning of his inheritance. The story is about finding yourself by first acknowledging where you come from and embracing your own history. Song of Solomon has become a cultural and emotional read that packs both a true meaning and adventure together.
Beloved (1987)
Beloved is the book that won Morrison her Pulitzer Prize for fiction. This novel is based upon the true story of a female runaway slave, Sethe who in fear of being recaptured, kills her young daughter to save her from a life of slavery. Years later, Sethe and the rest of her family believe her home to be haunted by a spirit. This spirit later reveals itself as “Beloved” to which Sethe realizes the spirit is her own late daughter. Overcome by guilt, she attempts to spoil Beloved to make up for the wrong she had done in trying to protect her. The story’s overarching themes are mainly focused around family, maternal bonds, and the psychological impact of slavery as this mother would do anything to save her child from the life she had to endure before. Morrison packs psychological emotion and true love into this story, which is why she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for this work of (he)art.
Toni Morrison such a huge influence in not only the literature aspect but also in the Black community as well. She brutally tells of the African American experience without a filter. Her central themes focus on an unjust society in which the characters mainly struggle with cultural identity. Morrison is an iconic Black Female author due to her poetic style and her beautiful ability to intertwine many different stories and points of view all at once.
Next month we’ll continue to highlight Female Authors from all backgrounds, races, and statuses. In the meantime, make sure to treat yo’self and grab a copy of a Toni Morrison novel! Check out our past Female Author Highlights on our blog!
