Toni Morrison: Where NOT To Start

Toni Morrison was a genius and you should try to read as much of her work as possible. This video makes suggestions about which of Toni Morrison's novels to avoid as your first experience with her work.

#ToniMorrison

[booksimnotreading]

I am looking forward to re-reading Beloved later this year. Thanks for this helpful video!

[GinaStanyerBooks]

I started with The Bluest Eye and agree with your assessment. It was a great place to start.

[AnaMoShoshin]

I just read my first Morrison (Sula) and was completely blown away!! She is incredible and I can't wait to read more!! I just found The Bluest Eye in a little free library.

[carolinabho]

Thank you for your recommendation! I have only read "The Bluest Eye" and I was very pleasantly surprised, it is wonderful that she debuted with such a magnificent novel. My sister also really enjoys Toni Morrison and in fact our next reading will be "Sula" and later "Song of Solomon". In our case we read the author translated into Spanish, I hope one day to read her in her original language and get to know her in greater depth. I am glad that an author who touches on such important topics and in such an original way is increasingly recognized ❤

[anges_book_chatter]

Great video. Paradise is my first Toni Morrison and I have it “paused” currently. It came out as a book pick for Robert’s Barter Hoards bookclub. My plan was to read The Bluest Eye first, then work through them from there. So that’s definitely the plan now.

[gaildoughty]

I started with Beloved and absolutely loved it. It’s a unique work and says so much, so effectively. Since then I’ve read Sula, which I loved too, but for me it didn’t have the immersive power of Beloved.
Thanks for your great explication of her books here.

[ianp]

Totally agree - I started with Song and completely loved it. Have since read Beloved (obviously brilliant) and Jazz (extraordinary) but dnf’d Tar Baby 😳.
Later this year I will read the Bluest Eye and then I will finally get to Paradise which has been on my shelf since 1998 - I bought it at a reading when she visited the UK and she signed my copy - precious moment!

[Shellyish]

Thanks for the video, Brian. Very helpful. I own Beloved and haven’t read it yet. Soon, I say. Soon.

[myreadinglife]

Very helpful. Thanks Brian. I have read Beloved (in college) and The Bluest Eye more recently. I need to reread Beloved and I have A Mercy on my TBR.

[ellethinks]

I have not read any Morrison yet and had been putting it off partially because I didn’t know where to start! I have a feeling I’ll love her work, so I think you’ve convinced me to start with The Bluest Eye.

[LucasMyFriends]

I started with The Bluest Eye, then Beloved, and Sulla. I’ve been meaning to read more of her work.

[cosilvia]

Great video idea! Glad I discovered your channel!

[HannahsBooks]

Yep. Tar Baby seems so different from her other early work that I would agree it is not the perfect place to start. My spouse could not make it through the audio of Jazz, which surprised me but fits with your argument. (He had loved Beloved already but had read nothing else.) Morrison is just such an unbelievably brilliant author, isn't she? Your video is just perfectly tuned.

[biggsheba]

Absolutely know where you're coming from with Paradise. That was the second TM novel I had ever read, and I definitely felt over my head.

[MsReadsAlot]

This was great! I have only read Beloved and don’t think it was the best starting place. It wasn’t my favorite 😳 I am going to pick up the bluest eye and then reread Beloved! Thanks for the insights!

[heleniam]

Can you please do a brake down on paradise I finished it and I'm still confused as to what happened

[joniheisenberg]

Wonderful video Brian. I agree with your assessments. “The Bluest Eye” is a stunning novel. Have you read “The Prophets” by Robert Jones Jr.? I think Toni Morrison has passed the torch and is smiling from Heaven

[attention]

I haven't read as much Morrison as I feel I should. I loved "Beloved" and agree, it is a perfect American novel, but for whatever reason, haven't read as much as I had planned. This was really great, and maybe I will start with "Song of Solomon" next.

[CourtneyFerriter]

Literally as soon as I saw the title of this video, I thought, "Paradise!" 😂 Second your recommendation not to start with Tar Baby either. I really liked Jazz, but yeah, probably not the best starting point.
This might be a controversial opinion, but I actually wouldn't recommend starting with Beloved either, even though it's her most well-known and acclaimed novel, mainly because it is a structurally and thematically complex book that would be challenging and maybe even daunting for someone brand new to Morrison. I think for entry points into Morrison, any of her first three novels that you mention here are accessible and good representations of her writing style and the kinds of themes she tackles in her work.
FWIW, I think both Home and A Mercy are good, even if not as great as Beloved or The Bluest Eye. I read God Help the Child not long after it came out, but I couldn't tell you a thing about it now, which I guess means I didn't find it all that memorable.

[joreneereads]

Aha I didn’t land on the “wrong” ones after all! 😂