Through her writing, Lorain native Toni Morrison changed the way American history is viewed. She gave us a more accurate image of events like the Harlem Renaissance and the origins of slavery. In her stories, she highlighted lesser-known details of these events, telling new tales about the people who lived during those eras.
Now, Morrison’s influence is being honored by Literary Cleveland with “Beloved: Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison.” A year’s worth of programs, during what would have been her 95th year, is happening statewide through next February. They include book clubs and other events in Northeast Ohio.
Morrison is being celebrated so much for good reason.
There are few writers who produce work simultaneously as beautiful and as heartbreaking. Yet Morrison does it again and again through her stunning descriptive language and by creating characters at the mercy of oppressive systems. As influential as her writing is, her impact goes beyond even that.
Morrison was the first Black female senior editor at Random House, and through this role, she opened the door for more Black writers to be published. Angela Davis, Gayl Jones and Lucille Clifton are among the many writers Morrison worked with. Before she became a senior editor, predominantly white writers were being published; Morrison helped nurture strong Black voices to diversify what writing was available to readers.
Morrison is a figure whose impact is astronomical, and her impressive (and extensive) resume can make it hard to know where to start. That’s where this month’s Words on the Street comes in. Whether you love a chilling and inventive ghost story or a book that highlights the complexity of female friendship, Morrison (and Words on the Street) has got you covered.
Where to begin if you want to read Toni Morrison’s works
“Recitatif”
This short story centers around Twyla and Roberta, two girls who meet at St. Bonny’s Children Center during the 1950s and quickly bond over the fact that they are the only ones whose parents are still alive. We follow both girls as they grow up, leave the children’s center and eventually grow apart. One fact Morrison shares early in the story is that one of the girls is Black and the other is white. Nowhere in the story does she clarify the race of either character. But Morrison’s decision to provide this information forces readers to guess — or simply wonder — which girl is which race. Racial identity is one of the most important themes of the story, and Morrison’s treatment of it forces readers to confront their assumptions about race head on.
Morrison wrote 11 novels, seven children’s books, nine nonfiction books, one short story and three plays. This extensive resume makes it hard for someone who hasn’t read anything by her to know where to start. To me, “Recitatif” is the perfect place. In the short story, Morrison shows everything her novels are capable of. She establishes a tangible sense of place, which we see in the way the children’s center is described. Morrison also neatly lays out the timeline of the girls’ lives, highlighting figures like Jimi Hendrix and the bussing of students to different schools to promote desegregation to give the reader context for their lives. She weaves subtle themes that leave you thinking after the story is finished.
For those who love an unconventional hero’s journey
“Song of Solomon”
This novel begins with insurance agent Robert Smith climbing to the top of Mercy Hospital, promising onlookers that he’ll fly all the way from his northern Michigan town to Lake Superior, then jumping to his death. The next day, our main character, Macon “Milkman” Dead, is born in the same hospital. The proximity of these events, Smith’s death and Milkman’s birth, sets the tone for the rest of the book. As we watch Milkman grow up, we increasingly see him wanting to escape northern Michigan and his family. He does not get along with his parents, and he finds his hometown monotonous. It is not until Milkman travels to the Virginia town where most of his family is from that he begins to slowly unearth his family’s past and begin to make peace with his life.
Milkman does not begin as a likeable character. He is selfish, he doesn’t value the people who care about him, he views life with persistent pessimism. However, once he arrives in Virginia and learns more about his family, he begins to soften. After hearing stories about his ancestors, Milkman realizes his obsession with material objects and his self-centered nature could have roots in his family’s past. This experience gives him the freedom to leave that family trauma behind and become a more competent, caring person. Milkman’s truth-seeking journey also introduces us to memorable characters like his aunt, the loving and protective Pilate. Additionally, we see Milkman overcome many obstacles that mold his character, most notably attempts on his life from those who were closest to him in Michigan.
For those who love books about female friendship
“Sula”
Sula and Nel are complete opposites. Nel is quiet and mild while Sula is bold and fearless. Both are products of their upbringings; Nel’s family is strict and expects her to get married and have children, while Sula, who was raised by her “eccentric and loose” mother and grandmother, is encouraged to be independent and rebel against social norms. The friends see their differences as something that brings them closer, and they become inseparable. We follow the pair from early childhood through the messiness of adolescence and into adulthood. It is not until Sula betrays Nel well into adulthood that we see their relationship tested and wonder if Nel can forgive Sula.
The stakes of their friendship go beyond the two women enjoying each other’s company. They see each other as two halves of a whole person. Before Sula’s betrayal of Nel, the two remained deeply connected despite choosing completely different paths. Through this novel, Morrison explores the ebbs and flows of female friendship, including how it transforms as we mature. While Nel and Sula’s relationship felt like an easy choice as children, adulthood and even adolescence test how far each is willing to stretch for their friend as Nel keeps secrets of Sula’s that will weigh on her for decades.
For those who love ghost stories with strong historical connections
“Beloved”
Sethe is haunted by the memories of her time as a slave at the Sweet Home plantation. She is also haunted by the ghost of her dead child, whom she and her living daughter, Denver, call Beloved. Beloved has haunted their house at 124 Bluestone Road for years. While Denver thinks of the ghost as her only friend, Sethe sees her as a reminder of a painful decision she felt forced to make. When Paul D, who was also enslaved at Sweet Home, shows up on Sethe’s porch and begins to live with the women, Sethe and Denver will see that the ghost of Beloved is stronger than they originally thought.
This novel is based on the story of Margaret Garner, a slave who attempted several times to kill her children because she did not want them to know the horrors of slavery. Morrison uses Garner’s story as a way to explore the long-term effects of grief and the cruelties of slavery. By giving Beloved agency, Morrison reveals the enduring, lesser-known effects of slavery.
For those who love powerful cultural commentary
“The Bluest Eye”
Pecola Breedlove, 11, has only one wish — to replace her brown eyes with blue ones. To her, blue eyes represent everything she does not have: beauty, favor, protection. Blue eyes would mean Pecola could escape her violent family and that society would value her, not scorn her. Pecola, who is Black, is obsessed with having light eyes — but also with whiteness. She wants blond hair, she’s enamored with Shirley Temple, and she loves baby dolls that have the features she longs for.
Pecola is often called ugly by people in her hometown of Lorain, and she spends most of her life seeking solace from the abuse she faces. Her goal of having blue eyes — which she thinks will lessen the negative attention she receives — reinforces the harm of beauty standards, and especially ones that are Eurocentric. Pecola’s struggles are contrasted by the choices of Claudia MacTeer, a character who comes from an almost identical background as Pecola but has the support of her sister, Frieda. Claudia grows up to be strong and resourceful. The dichotomy makes Pecola’s story that much more painful.
For those who love an unlikely champion
“Home”
Frank Money is plagued by his past. He is a Korean War veteran whose post-traumatic stress disorder leads him to anger and acts of self-harm. Frank is also tormented by memories of growing up in Lotus, Louisiana, where his parents were too busy working multiple jobs to protect him and his sister from an abusive family member. While Frank is figuring out how to move forward after the war, he receives a letter from a housekeeper his sister works with. The letter tells him that his sister, Cee, has been abandoned by her husband and subjected to medical experiments she didn’t consent to. He must quickly travel to Atlanta, where she’s being held, to rescue her.
While Frank begins the book as a character who doesn’t seem capable of helping himself, let alone others, by the end of the book, it’s clear his journey to find Cee and attempt to save her changes him. When Frank finds Cee, she is in a depleted state. Frank takes her back to their hometown, and while the women of the community work to heal her, no improvement would have been possible had Frank not first found Cee and returned her. The journey to find Cee and restore her helps Frank make peace with his past.