Toni Morrison passed away yesterday at the age of 88. You can find a lot of really wonderful tributes and reflections online explaining just why she is a literary giant. Here are a few that you might find interesting:
Toni Morrison’s Song of America (written by Tracy K. Smith, former poet laureate)
How Toni Morrison Made Us See Black Women
The Generosity Of Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison Taught Me How to Think
Toni Morrison Taught Me How to Really Read
If you want to (re)read her work, we of course have you covered! Here are some highlights (including fiction, non-fiction, and works she edited):
Beloved (ebook version)
The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations
Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination
Burn this Book: PEN Writers Speak out on the Power of the Word
You might also be interested in reading interviews, such as Toni Morrison: Conversations and Conversations with Toni Morrison.
If you have a chance to go see the new documentary on her, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, you should definitely do so. I saw it at the Full Frame Documentary Festival this year, and I really enjoyed it. Eventually we’ll have a copy of the dvd in our library, but in the meantime you might enjoy these two films:
“Sheer Good Fortune”: Celebrating Toni Morrison
