Never read Nobel laureate Toni Morrison’s work and want to start?
Here & Now‘s Scott Tong gets tips on how to approach Toni Morrison’s work from Traci Thomas, host and creator of “The Stacks” podcast.
Traci Thomas’ tips for reading Morrison’s work
- Slow down your reading speed: whether reading to yourself, reading aloud, or listening to audiobooks of her work.
- Don’t get too bogged down: Just read and be okay with not “getting” everything. Morrison is meant to be read and reread.
- Look for the humor: Morrison is, of course, a great serious novelist, but one of the things people miss in her work is the humor and the messiness she presents us with. Finding those funny and tender bits adds so much to reading her work.
- Read with others: Read with a friend, a book club or a podcast. Morrison’s work is made richer through discussion and debate.
- Read her books in the order in which she wrote them: If you haven’t read any Morrison, start with “The Bluest Eye” and go on from there rather than tackling a book like “Beloved” right away. If you’re looking for a novel with a more straightforward story, you could also start with Morrison’s second novel, “Sula.”
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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