A Library Mourns Toni Morrison

Like the rest of the world, the staff of Brooklyn Public Library are mourning over the loss of one of history’s greatest writers. Toni Morrison--the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature, awardee of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, passed away on August 6th, 2019 at the age of 88 due to complications of pneumonia. One of the truly masterful, uniquely American voices in all of literature, she leaves us 11 novels, as well as picture books and essay collections--not to mention the countless voices inspired or influenced by her work, through which to visit and know her, even as we grapple with acknowledging that no new work may be coming.

To remember all that she has given us through her writing, Brooklyn Public Library staff contributed their own voices, to share their favorite Morrison book and how she has influenced them. We will continue to add to this list over time and invite you to share your recollections as well. There is no format here, only a form of grieving:

The Bluest Eye (1970)

“Being introduced to Pecola Breedlove and her struggles existing, not only in the outside world but within her family as well made me almost immediately empathize with the character. Her belief that blue eyes would make her beautiful was painfully poetic in its innocence. Ms. Morrison's' ability to make the reader view conflict from many different perspectives, and to do it so seamlessly. She will be greatly missed.” -- Michelle C., Services for Older Adults

“The Bluest Eye is set in Lorain, Ohio, which is Toni Morrison's—and my—hometown. I always felt a special connection to her writing because we grew up in the same place, but of course her writing belongs to everyone. This is her first novel, and after you fly through it, I guarantee you'll be desperate to read the rest of her work. We're all lucky she left us so much!” -- Lauren, Marketing and Communications

"It was the first book, even though it is fiction made me start to think about the role skin-color (not just race) plays in society." -- Brenda B., Outreach Services

"I remember reading just an excerpt from The Bluest Eye in middle school and how that was the first time I really became aware of the concept of race. I think her work is so powerful for the way it can resonate with people of all ages." -- Louisa L., Washington Irving Library

"I picked up this novel at the library through the RIF [Reading is Fundamental] program in 1996.  It was captivating as I related Pecora and dealing with the complexity of skin tones. I saw myself in that character dealing with having a darker hue and feeling that it was synonymous with "ugliness." -- Taina E., Services to Older Adults

"The Bluest Eye, to me, is her most radical and devastating book, though Sula and Beloved are right there too. (I just happen to have a soft spot for gut-punch debut novels). TM - RIP" -- Phil B., Gravesend Library

Song of Solomon (1977)

“Before I even knew I wanted to be  a librarian, it was the one of the first book recommendations shared between my mom and me. She shared Modern African female writers she grew up reading and I shared American black female writers that I admired.” -- Adwoa, Brownsville Library

"I first encountered Toni Morrison as a teenager while on a family trip. Song of Solomon appeared on my summer reading list and I carted it along with me; I knew it then only as one of Oprah’s book club selections, which to my malformed, adolescent conception of literariness did it no favors. Yet despite my initial reluctance, I was immediately floored by my experience, abandoning my family to read it alone in my room for hours at a time. And I remember specifically that it was this passage that committed me forever to fandom: “she had the distinct impression that his lips were pulling from her a thread of light. It was as though she were a cauldron issuing spinning gold. Like the Miller’s daughter--the one who sat at night in a straw-filled room, thrilled with the secret power Rumpelstiltskin had given her: to see golden thread stream from her very own shuttle.” I had never, ever read anyone who could connect the mythological with the personal with such effortless power and precision. And while I had certainly never conceived of breastfeeding that way, have also never thought of it otherwise since, which I don’t mean as a joke--it revealed a space for interiority that I had never considered, which was meaningful and I think shaped me in some ways as a person. (I also credit Toni Morrison, in the same novel, with teaching me to soft-boil an egg: you’ve got time for “one small obligation” while the egg sits in the boiling water.) -- Erik B., Central Library

"One of the lines at the end has stuck with me for it's empathy and compassion; I believe the central character remarks as death approaches, "I wish I’d a knowed more people. I would a loved ‘em all. If I’d knowed more, I would a loved more."" -- Jonathan P.,  Marcy Library

"One of my favorite Toni Morrison books is Song of Solomon, for its memorable dialogue and for its unique, character-defining names; SOS has characters named Macon Dead and Milkman Dead. Macon Dead, who hates his wife, insults her cooking thus, 'Her husband looked at the driftwood with its lacy beige seaweed, and without moving his head, said, "Your chicken is red at the bone. And there is probably a potato dish that is supposed to have lumps in it. Mashed ain't the dish."'" -- Lila F., Bushwick Library

Beloved (1987)

"Beloved was the first book I ever read where I was afraid to turn the page. Unlike most haunted house stories, it’s so painfully real. Morrison dedicates the book to the “sixty million and more” black people who died in the slave trade. She pays homage to those ghosts and shows us clearly and unequivocally how haunted America still is. In the book, the revenant Beloved comes back demanding to be seen and heard. That’s what Morrison’s work does so beautifully for black voices and black stories: demands that they are seen and heard.” -- Leila, Marketing and Communications

“[I love Beloved because] it was my introduction to her and because it told me a story I didn’t know” -- Carrie, Inclusive Services

"Beloved is and always will be an essential and timeless read for those who are interested in knowing about the African American experience after slavery. It is one filled with symbolism, emotion, and poetic prose that makes your bones chill and your spirit quiver." -- Enito M., Enterprise Applications 

Paradise (1997)

"It has this expansive setting in rural Oklahoma but often in the book you feel the claustrophobic, insular tensions of communities trying to create utopias and failing to separate themselves from the problems of mainstream society. She immerses you in the mythology and lineage of a few families and then makes a whole world out of their triumphs and conflicts." -- Charlie R., Brooklyn Collection

God Help the Child (2015)

“I grew up in a multicultural, multiethnic, multicolored family where skin tone could be a blessing or a curse. I witnessed success and failure, nurturing and mistreatment depending on the lightness or darkness of one's skin.” -- Tambe, New Utrecht Library

For a complete list of her novels and for some selections from her nonfiction writings see this list.