NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A PARADE BEST BOOK OF ALL TIME • From the acclaimed Nobel Prize winner—a powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity that asks questions about race, class, and gender with characteristic subtly and grace.
In Morrison’s acclaimed first novel, Pecola Breedlove—an 11-year-old Black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others—prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning, and the tragedy of its fulfillment.
Here, Morrison’s writing is “so precise, so faithful to speech and so charged with pain and wonder that the novel becomes poetry” (
The New York Times).
Linda, this was a GREAT BOOK , very informative, explains very well the history with trump and Fox News. It seems Fox News hosts are running our country. Very sad ! –
I BOUGHT THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT WAS LISTED ON THE BANNED BOOK LIST IN TEXAS AND OTHER SOUTHERN REPUBLICAN STATES. My grannddaughters are bi-racial and I as a white grandmother want them to know all of their history. I read this book before passing t to my 16 year old gorgeous granddaughter. I couldnt lay it down. this author is superb, she tells the story so well its spellbinding.
Kath Kirk –
Toni Morrison writes as if she is writing a short story and has to pack as much significance and meaning into every word, every phrase, every rhythm and pause as she can. Then she flips and changes the style to match the perspective of her many characters so that that depth of meaning does not overwhelm. She leaves gaps for the reader to fill because when you meet her by doing the work, the effect she has on your thinking becomes permanent.The first Morrison novel I tried to read eluded me because doing the work was beyond me. These are not easy books to read and they leave you wrung out and emotionally exhausted. This time I persisted even when it meant restarting, and something clicked into place. And then it detonated.Morrison knew that words have power and in this novel she wields that power like a nuclear bomb.I have officially become a convert, and this book about socially conditioned preceptions of beauty based on race is what converted me. Time to add all her other books to my shelf.
Kimberly –
This is the first novel I have read by Morrison, but I was aware of her iconic status as a writer before reading The Bluest Eye. Prior to reading this book, I read and was thoroughly impressed by “Red at the Bone” by Woodson. Woodson wrote that she was influenced and inspired by Morrison, which is primarily what led me to The Bluest Eye.Morrison’s legendary reputation is well earned. Her writing is superb and original. If someone gave me an excerpt written by Morrison, likely I could guess the author. Her writing is rich in description and raw truth. She does not placate or sugar coat. Morrison instead shocks and assaults the reader by shining a spotlight on the harsh truth. The Bluest Eye is uncomfortable, thought provoking and powerful.If you are considering reading The Bluest Eye, be aware there are some potentially triggering themes, including: incest, child molestation, one of the characters is a child predator, and some of the characters are sex workers.The major theme throughout the novel are the effects of pressure on women and young girls to conform to cultural and societal standards of beauty. Using a multi-generational storyline and a cast of female characters, Morrison challenges readers to think about where women get their sense of value and worth, and how that is impacted by the standards of beauty that are programmed into all of society. Morrison assumes the bitter truth that meeting societal standards of beauty results in better treatment and a higher social status. The story tackles how women’s lives are negatively affected if they cannot meet the beauty standard (such as having blue eyes, hence the novel’s title). In short, this novel offer rich social commentary about how we value people. I understand and agree wholeheartedly with the social commentary being made by Morrison.In summary, the story is about Pecola Breedlove, an 11-year-old black girl. Her mother, who she calls Mrs. Breedlove, works as a housekeeper and nanny for a wealthy white family. Her father, Cholly, is a drunk and does not work. The story begins and ends with Pecola, but Morrison gives extensive background on Pecola’s parents.Mrs. Breedlove was born and raised in the south and comes from a large family of origin. As a young woman, Mrs. Breedlove is a hard worker who cares for her family of origin despite it not being easy for her because she is born with a deformed foot. When she marries Pecola’s father and starts her own family, they move north. In her new community, Mrs. Breedlove feels isolated and alone. She is not accepted by the northern women who have different accents, clothes, and behavior expectations than where she came from in the south.When Mrs. Breedlove becomes pregnant with Sam, Pecola’s brother, during her pregnancy she loses two of her teeth. Once she loses her teeth, all hope of fitting in and belonging is lost to Mrs. Breedlove. In this pivotal event, she becomes resigned to the idea that she will never have friends.Mrs. Breedlove escapes into her work. Her only sense of belonging is with the family that pays her to clean their home and care for their daughter. There Mrs. Breedlove feels she has acceptance, appreciation, and control. In her own chaotic and unstable home, she feels out of control. In her employer’s home, she can adequately provide a safe, comfortable, organized, and orderly life. As a result, she comes to feel her own family and home are a nuisance to be endured, rather than a blessing. She sees her family as a burden and prefers caring for the white wealthy family’s home and daughter over her own home and children.Pecola’s father, Cholly Breedlove, had a traumatic childhood. His mother abandoned him on a trash heap when he was nine days old and likely was mentally ill. His father likely never knew about his existence, until Cholly seeks him out later when he’s a young adult, but his father summarily dismisses him with cursing. Spoiler alert – Cholly commits incest with Pecola while drunk and impregnates Pecola.With Pecola’s mother and father largely absent from her life and abusive when they are present, Pecola befriends and regularly visits sex workers that live nearby. They treat her to outings and food. The sex workers and some of her peers are her friends through whom she temporarily finds some comfort. However, through a mixture of media, friends, family, and cultural messaging Pecola is programmed to believe that she is “ugly.” She absorbs the cultural messaging that blue eyes are the prettiest eyes, and that hers do not meet the beauty standards. She learns to hate the way she looks.Woven throughout the story it is indicated how desperately Mrs. Breedlove and Pecola desire to possess the societal standard for physical beauty. Each are convinced it would change their lives if they could achieve having blue eyes and perfect teeth, for example. At one point, Pecola even approaches a former “Reverend “who is rumored to have a special connection with God, to request that she be given blue eyes. In what is arguably the weirdest scene in the book, the “Reverend” instead gives Pecola some poison, and tells her to feed it to a dog. When Pecola does this, the dog dies causing her even further trauma.Morrison does not spare Pecola and drives her point into readers until the end. Pecola eventually becomes unhinged and disengages from reality. Pecola’s former friends abandon her. She can no longer tell what is real and she creates a pretend friend who eventually abandons her too.Morrison is relentless in making her point and the tone of this novel is sad, hopeless, and desperate. She does not show her characters mercy in her pursuit to illustrate how the standards of beauty effect women and young girls. There are few redeeming characters, and no characters are spared the impact of the damage of not meeting societal beauty standards. Some characters that start out with some redeeming qualities are stripped of them by the end of the novel. This is not a light read but it is a literary wonder and may expose readers to new ways of seeing the world if they are brave enough to consider the raw perspectives of the characters.
K –
Very well written. Simple at first, but develops deep meaning that I believe a wide audience could discuss amongst a variety of groups of people. I enjoyed reading about the lives of the characters. Got real awkward at the very end, but very discussion-provoking.
Keglan –
I recently reread this book. I had read it several years before. I was amazed at how much I had forgotten. Practically all of it. I want to make this review about the book and not about me, but I kept asking myself over and over how I could not have remembered this brilliant novel. I’m a middle-aged white man, so maybe it wasn’t relevant enough to me or my lifestyle. Or; maybe my brain rejected the disturbing elements, which our sometimes nine-year-old chronicler Claudia MacTeer treats like they are just a normal part of life. I was much younger the first time I read this book, and since that time, having some close friends who are African-American relate to me over a beer some of their stories, I want to know. I want to know how this oppression of the soul still exists to this very day. How can the average white person even begin to understand events like Ferguson? Sadly, not very many try to. Books like this one, Richard Wright’s “Native Son”, Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” and so much other great literature of this genre are must reads, in my opinion, for every American. Pecola Breedlove’s desire to have blue eyes like the little blonde-haired girl at the house her mother is employed as housekeeper, is heartbreaking on so many levels, especially after her own personal tragedy.
Dory J. Christensen –
I liked the prose, the message is very powerful. One puts oneself in the shoes of this little girl and can’t help but feel her thirst to belong to a group, to a family, to a community. Also enjoyed other characters, especially her Moroccan friend. A very strong, sweet, kind child.
Byron Gilreath –
Toni Morrison’s work is amazing, and this book broke my heart. Reading what it’s like as a young black girl in America, everything that they have to go through even into adulthood gives me infinitely more respect for Black women everywhere.
Donald L. Ricco Jr. –
“I destroyed white baby dolls.”Pecola Breedlove. “Each night, without fail, she prayed for blue eyes.” And even though I’m not sure what ultimately happened with that particular issue, I loved the journey! She lived below an apartment occupied by three whores, China, Poland, and Miss Marie, who’s dialogue is a highlight of this story! “Three merry gargoyles.”!I loved the way the author used, and repeated, the Dick and Jane mashup sentences throughout the book! Amazing juxtaposition between those sanitized sentence snatches, and the story being told. This whole book is just amazing, especially as it was Morrison’s FIRST BOOK! Wow!!! And it’s a classic! Highly recommend this book to everyone! And remember, “Don’t nobody need three quarts of milk.””And the years folded up like pocket handkerchiefs.”
Crystal –
The Bluest Eye is a classic for the powerful themes that continue to relate to society today. As Toni Morrison mentions in her foreword, we all know what it feels like to be disliked or rejected, be it for a moment or for a suspended period of time. Moving beyond this statement, we all know what it feels like to be dissatisfied with our appearance. Even if we are generally happy with how we look, there will be periods of time when we wish that we were “prettier.” The media bombards with with images of the feminine (and masculine) ideal. Advertisements tell us how we can look sexier and be more confident (by buying their products). We are constantly told that we are not up to standard and ought to try harder to look like the ideal. The problem is that we can try our whole lives and never look like the “ideal.” Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye examines the intersectionality of race, class, gender, and age in the oppression of black people through beauty ideals and the pressure to conform to them.She does this through sketches in the lives of multiple characters of different backgrounds and across generations. Generally, I’m not very fond of novels that move around so much, as it makes it difficult to get to know any particular character, but this technique works for Morrison’s novel. Rather than events moving the plot forward (like most novels), the plot takes us through the lives of different characters in order to show how the white beauty ideal influences black people of different temperaments, class, and circumstances . . . causing them to internalize racism. This does mean that there is a lot of narrating going on. At times, I even found it hard to focus on the page. For the most part, however, I felt that Morrison does a good job moving the plot forward. It definitely helps that her writing is strong and interesting with many, many beautiful, powerful lines that moved my heart. Once I started The Bluest Eye, I was reluctant to put down the novel for lengthy periods of time.Most importantly, these sketches show us how people come to be the people that they are today. Humans are not born to be terrible. The way our natures interact with the environment to which we are exposed shapes our character. There were characters who I disliked early in the book only to realize later that they were not such terrible beings. At least, not at first. Things happened, and maybe their response wasn’t the healthiest, but they lived at some point in their lives. Until they internalized racism and began to believe that they deserved the bad things that happened to them. That people couldn’t change. The most notable example of the influence of internalized racism is in the home of the Breedloves. Learning about the lives and thoughts of Mrs. and Mr. Breedlove helped me to better understand the environment in which Pecola grew up. Thinking about how Pecola and her brother’s lives could have been different helped me to realize how oppression not only influences the people with whom it comes into immediate contact but also their children and the generations to come. (Compare the parenting Pecola receives to the parenting Claudia receives.)I also want to note how Morrison uses the Dick and Jane primer to emphasize the psychological element to oppression. The Dick and Jane primer portrays the ideal white family. The way its grammar and structure falls apart in the first pages of the novel reminds me of horror movies where a seemingly benign and pleasant scene falls apart to become something terrifying. In the same way, the lives of the black families, particularly that of the Breedloves, will upend in The Bluest Eye. The inclusion of distorted sections of the primer at the beginning of certain chapters foreshadows this.The Bluest Eye is haunting and beautiful. At the same time, it is terrible and brutal in its honest portrayal of the interlinking systems of oppression through race, class, gender, and age. There are explicit scenes of domestic violence, rape, and sex, as well as a pervasive sense of hopelessness. Nevertheless, there is life, love, and tenderness behind seemingly harsh acts. As Claudia says at the beginning of the novel, “since why is hard to handle, one must take refuge in how.” Building upon this statement, if we can learn how things come to be, then we can learn how to ensure history does not repeat itself. We can learn how to keep future generations from sharing Pecola’s end.
Nan –
The book deals with multiple difficult topics we never talk about with others. Toni Morrison makes those topics real and believable. It’s a must-read for all.
Georgia Francis –
Toni Morrison…need I say more.
DSW94 –
Very good book.
Thierry Fossemalle –
An amazing piece of writing, both powerful and tragic. Delves into places and states only a master could guide us through. Highly moving.
Shirley H. –
I enjoyed the reading of this book. I found myself feeling as if I was actually there. Glad to have as part of my library.
Terrie D. Robinson –
In Lorain, Ohio, Pecola Breedlove is an eleven-year-old Black girl who is told often, both directly and indirectly, that she is ugly. Her mother says she was born that way.Pecola prays for her eyes to turn blue. With blue eyes she’ll be beautiful. With blue eyes she’ll be seen and everything in her world will be different…The Bluest Eye is an authentic snapshot of a young Black girl who is accepting of the harshest of opinions by others, including her family. Told that she is ugly, weak, and without value to the degree that she may become, in her own mind, the person they tell her she is.This powerful debut novel is impossible to walk away from without recognizing the brilliance of this author. Toni Morrison’s writing is pure beauty, word after word, but this story will rip you to shreds!The Bluest Eye was first published on June 1, 1970 and favorably reviewed by The New York Times for the author’s writing style. The book was slow to take off until City University of New York, along with various other colleges, placed The Bluest Eye on its new Black Studies reading list resulting in a positive lift in sales.I highly recommend this book to everyone who can read, in whatever format suits your fancy! 5 beautifully written stars!
Jean N –
I read the book to see why it was banned. I would imagine that many people who wanted Ban it probably never even read it. Ridiculous
Lorena –
Duro, incómodo, hermoso y sobretodo muy necesario. Historia de la destrucción ficticia de un alma humana. Con la distancia necesaria para doler y para permitirte abrir los ojos
I.O. –
This is an extraordinary book. It’s also one of the most poignant I have ever read. It shows (even if the characters are fictional) me that some people were just born unlucky and never caught a break. Remind me to be more compassionate. A sad and beautiful story
Nick –
My rating is somewhere between 4 and 5, but I’m aware that that’s probably because I am not Black and have cannot identify personally with any of the characters. I haven’t had the experiences that Pecola, Frieda, and Claudia have had. I certainly can’t identify with Cholly or Mrs. Breedlove, but now I can begin to understand them. I read this along with Brit Bennett’s 2029 book, “The Vanishing Half,” which is also about wanting to be other than we are. Morrison is an exquisite writer. This is the first of her books I’ve read, but I don’t think it will be the last.
ViveElan –
Before I write my review of this book I want to talk about something that bothered me. I read a lot of criticism from people saying that Jenna Bush Hager wasn’t qualified to discuss this book and that Toni Morrison didn’t write it for her. Toni Morrison wrote for everyone. White women don’t have the same experience as black women do. We know that. But books are a way to see other people’s perspectives. Toni Morrison wrote to change the world-you do that by writing for everyone, not just people the same as you. Our skin is not the same color and that does provide us white people with a privilege we don’t always recognize. Reading and discussing great books is a way to learn, to empathize and to discuss so we learn more. Thank you Jenna Bush Hager and Oprah for your openness and wisdom and for facilitating conversations that will change the world.There is so much going on here. First let me address the Dick and Jane passages. According to articles that I’ve read they are attributed to young people learning about the world and it all runs together in a way that doesn’t make sense. I agree with that to a point. I think the Dick and Jane passages contrast sharply with what the girls lives are and will be. I think the passages drone on as a reminder of the differences and the separateness and the unreachable perfection of the little white family.This is very much a story about our perceptions of beauty and the world and story about innocence and the loss of innocence. One of the things that struck me is the meanness. This theme I’ve seen repeated in other stories and in my own family. Frieda and Claudia’s mother is not kind to her children presumably because the world is not kind. A similar attitude to my maternal grandmother’s.That’s very sad. Pecola’s mother Pauline also chooses the family and the little Dick/Jane/Sally girl over her own child. Pecola loses her mind, it’s natural, it’s understandable but what about the girls, children women who don’t or can’t lose their mind but have to continue forward one step at at time, carving a life out of the madness.The worst chapter for me, believe it or not (because the bit about Cholly and Pecola was pretty terrible) was the chapter about Soaphead Church. He was a disgusting excuse for a human being, deformed by the worlds racist views that light skins beings are better giving him delusions of grandeur. He was hideous in so many ways. And yet wasn’t that the point-his family had purposely chosen mates to extend their broken down royal bloodline and light skin and he was the most grotesque human being in the story.There is so much more in this book. This short book must generate a lively discussion and lots of learning and perspectives. It really is amazing.
L. Greer –
My son had to read this book while he was a senior in High School! He wasn’t much of a reader…not that he couldn’t read but in the age of video games and cable. It wasn’t his favorite past time.Well, he didn’t have a choice when it came to this book and I am happy to say that he loved this book read it so intensely that I have to buy another one for myself to read because the pages have started to fall out of the book!Bottom line this book is a classic and according to my son a great read as well!
Ann Infinity –
Toni Morison is the finest writer of her time and is rivaled only by the likes of William Shakespeare. I always refer to this particular book when I want to discuss knowledgeable writing. There is a scene where a father rapes his preteen daughter. By the time the rape occurs, Ms. Morison has done such a fine job of creating deep dimensional characters that the reader is unable to be angry at him. It is dense with detail that draws the reader into the scene, and into the hearts of her characters. It’s easy to see why she has won so many writing awards, including a Nobel.
JoAnn H. –
These children have wisdom. They are surviving the best they can. You realize you never really know someone until you can understand their pain. And these people make an amazing maze of life lessons.
tori –
Listed as one of the most often challenged or banned books, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye warrants being read, reread, and discussed. It offers avenues through which powerful conversations can occur, and our teachers as much as our students need to engage with this complex text. The Bluest Eye is a lyrically written painfully beautiful narrative with a didactic style (especially when compared with the more oft taught canonical American Novels that represent time as linear and plot as a series of events that build toward a crescendo) that engages with beauty, poverty, perception, love, sex, sexuality, friendship, bullying, birth, death, happiness and cruelty. It is a coming of age story that may at first seem to lightly dismiss topics that would, in other works, serve as climactic tragedies. Rape, incest, domestic violence and death serve, in the context of the novel, as almost a backdrop that sets off the real insidious danger that pervades the lived experiences and interactions the characters have throughout the course of the novel: idealized beauty. This idealized beauty is intertwined with issues of race, class, and gender and this novel and serves as a metaphor for a variety of social ills. In addition to offering beautifully written lyrical prose and a means of discussing narrative form, this novel gives a powerful opening to discussions of power, hegemony, heterosexism and classism and would be ideal to discuss various lenses through which we as scholars read not only our novels but our lives.Although the novel includes topics that could be seen as unsavory, they are far from gratuitous and are absolutely essential to the themes being investigated: in addition to beauty, power dynamics, social mores, institutionalized racism in schools and other timely topics are all included. In the scope of the novel the sexual violences are enmeshed with the overall narrative that questions the effects of a culture which values a rigid ideal of beauty, an ideal that is realized only by white children with blonde hair, and follows characters through the seasons of their existence, creating a cast of characters whose travails are well written and developed using non-linear sequencing which adds to the destabilizing effect of the prose.This novel would fit well in a curriculum that asks students to investigate questions of power, compares narrative voices and various ways in which stories are told, or as a suggested text for an individual research project on societal norms or stereotypes. Students who have read Sharon Flake’s The Skin I’m In or Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak in middle school will be challenged and rewarded with The Bluest Eye, as it develops themes from such works and provides richer and more mature text. This text is suggested by the Common core to be read in grade 11 or 12 and would pair well with Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Faulkner’s As I lay Dying (specifically investigating the different approaches to discussing sexism by the various characters within the text, for example asking students to discussing how their age, class and race may influence the character’s perceptions of how they are treated.) Another familiar text for students to use to compare and discuss is Hamlet (Students could be asked to think about Ophelia and Hamlet’s interactions through the various critical lenses of gender/feminism, class and power.)Overall, despite the challenges The Bluest Eye has received to being taught in the classroom, the overwhelming opportunities for rich discussion and the literary merit of the book far outweigh any challenge related to teaching it. This text has and will continue to be read and reread within schools because of rather than in spite of the violence and sexual content as the novel asks students, teachers, and readers in general to question stereotypes and ideals of beauty and success. I highly recommend it!
wwhite –
I had this book when it first came out. Thing is this book is a remake. There was a chapter that really impressed me Ruth the small wring around the edges of the pages. It left me with a childhood impression. This book did not have thatIf course this is no reflection on the author or quality of the story. Just the publisher
Jim Marsala –
Just as advertised.
Amazon Customer –
Powerful and truly devastating story! Definitely a must-read. My heart breaks for all of the Pecolas who exist in the shadows of society.
Roberta P. –
Toni Morrison writing more difficult to read than I remember. I just finished The Bluest Eye & thought it was easier to follow. Very interesting writing style—Southern blk dialogue. Good description of African feelings about being blk.
Kimi L. –
I was blown away by this book! I’m ashamed to admit that this was my first Morrison but am now so happy that I have the rest of her works to devour. Her writing is so jam packed. It’s a short book but she says so much with just a few works, encapsulating what it is like to be poor and Black in America. We get to know Pecola, our main character, through various perspectives and time periods. We see her through the eyes of peers who are slightly richer in family and resources. We see her through the eyes of a lighter skinned Black boy who’s mother doesn’t let him play with other Black children. We even see her through the eyes of her parents, through their own history and stories that lead them to their current circumstances. Morrison give humanity to these people who’s collective experiences all combine to make Pecola’s existence miserable. It is horrific to see all the through-lines of racism within this country, through people Pecola lives among, and how they affect one little girl and shape her future.
Virtue –
I love Toni Morrison and enjoyed this book. I wish the book itself was a bigger size. Other than that, no complaints.
Barbara Stahly –
This is not light reading. It is filled with dark topics, but they are important topics and leave me thinking and thinking. The Bluest Eye is my first Toni Morrison book and there will have to be more, because I’m enthralled with her writing style as well as her perspectives on life.
Theresa C. DePaepe –
My book review is also posted on my blog at […]. Here is the text from that review:I recently read The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I chose to read this because of an article that I read about a parent who was attempting to ban this book from her child’s school library on the basis of it being “pornographic.”The Bluest Eye is the fictional account of a young black girl in the years following The Great Depression. It deals with racism, incest, and child molestation as well as issues surrounding our culture’s obsession with beauty and how it’s defined.The same week that I read this book, which is fiction, I also read the real-life stories of Jaycee Dugard, who was held captive by a child rapist and pedophile for 18 years, and Melissa Moore, whose father was a serial killer who tortured and murdered women. I talked about these books in my Readin’ post here.So, all three books deal with the difficult issues of child abuse, rape, incest, and pedophilia among other things. But two of the books are based on real, actual events, and one was a fictional story. I’ll let you guess which stories were the most horrific. As I said in my Readin’ post on the two non-fiction books, truth is stranger than fiction.The Bluest Eye was published in 1970, and was Toni Morrison’s first novel. It is a beautifully written little book that deals with difficult issues. There is a scene where a young girl is raped by her father, but that is representative of the culmination of a myriad of issues that swirl around the characters. Incest is not the primary focus of the novel, but the brutality of the scene brings all of the issues faced by this one little girl to a crushing denouement.In 1970, I was in the 8th grade and was about the same age as the characters in this book. I compared my life and experiences as a young, middle class, white girl with blue eyes to those of the young black girls growing up in Ohio in the early 1940s.The black girls in this book compared themselves not only to the white girls (and white baby dolls), but to each other. Your beauty, i.e. ugliness, was defined by the darkness of your skin and the nappiness of your hair. The lighter the skin and straighter the hair, that is the closer you were to the white girls, the prettier you were deemed to be. The ramifications of these definitions impacted your ability to be loved and to love.Our culture continues to be obsessed with often unrealistic definitions of what constitutes beauty – anoxeric looking women with long legs and large busts. Barbie dolls. For a mother raising five daughters, this is the theme in the book that resonated the most with me.I can see why this book is on high school reading lists. In just 200 pages, you are provided with innumerable teachable lessons. My kids read it for an assignment, and I would recommend it to others especially if you want to generate great dialogue about real life issues.It is very difficult to sit down with your kids, cold turkey, and say let’s talk about racism or sexism or beauty and conformity issues. It just does not happen that way. They shut down. If you see what they are reading at home or in school, you can open the door to talk to them. I have often picked up a book that they have read (if I haven’t read it before), and then talked to them about it. You will be surprised how quickly you can generate a lively conversation. You might learn something new about a book that you had not considered before, and the bonus is that you might even learn something new about your kid.My nephew, after seeing the last three books that I read, suggested that I read something a little lighter next. Like a physics book.
Michael Andrews –
The Bluest EyePowerfully written. Morrison has such an incredible skill of being able to describe the inner lives of her characters.
TBearMattern –
This is not my favorite of Morrisons’s works; it is brutal and tragic but the writing is beyond compare and touched me deeply and made me question my own beliefs. And isn’t that what great writing should do?
A. Hiniker –
A book which drew me into the depths of racism and touched me deeply. I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. I want to read all of Toni Morrison’s books since I read this one.
smooches –
read this novel when it was first released. wanted to read it again. at first reading, I was blown away, because prior to the seventies a black female author was rare to non-existent. black males wrote tons of non-fiction, but I’m a fiction lover. I’d never read a novel written in such a learned voice that told the story of so sad a character, without that old sweaty, downtrodden tone. I’d never had a brilliant af. amer. professor, not just read, but teach me to rip the novel apart, turn the characters inside out, shake them up and then put all the pieces back in place, before drawing my own conclusions.. t.,m. is one of the most gifted authors on earth. if you read this novel, I suggest that you form a group, so that they can shed light on the pieces you might miss. and, read the afterward, before the novel. it helps you to understand, why the subject was important to t.m. and why she approached it from this prospective. I can’t say, ” enjoy”, because this novel rips your guts out; it actually hurts when you pick it up. I won’t say why, but t. m. tells you in the first page or so.
nw8995 –
This was my first venture into Toni Morrison and it was incredible. Morrison is so smooth, poetic, and vivid in her writing. The book focuses on a number of characters all seeking warmth, validation, and acceptance from their peers or society at large. It’s also about what happens to these characters when they cannot receive this acceptance. It’s a terribly sad book, but an essential glimpse into what the lives of some people are like.
S. J. Hayes –
I knew it would be difficult to read. The way people can have individual stories so you truly understand them…and then they pass on in one form or another their sufferings and hurt to others who are as vulnerable. I wanted to help, to break the chain.
JR. –
Unique store very interesting. Had to read this for an English class and my professor enhanced the reading by teaching about all the metaphors. The books has different perspectives about the same thing each time telling you more and more. This is a read between the lines and find the hidden gems type a story. This also isn’t a story for young kids but maybe teens and adults it’s more appropriate.
Nancy Rhodes –
Books is in like new condition and the price was right and received it in a reasonable. I appreciate their great service.
ev herold –
I don’t know why I am so late to the party. This was a great deep character driven novel. I think the very very beginning always scared me off it. So glad I read it.
Proud Feminist –
Toni Morrison was amazing. This is one of her greatest books. She tells the story of a little black girl who is unloved, and mistreated by everyone all because she has dark skin.
Kindle Customer –
Morrison spectacularly depicts the desensitization of we humans by mere selfishness and selflessness. It has perpetuated through society as evil and jealousy. Yet Toni stresses how we affect each other’s self esteem.
Keke –
This book touched on so many emotions. Anger, sadness, a glimpse of hope and despair. The rawness of this story was complex which left you wanting to know more. I recommend this read to the not so faint of heart. A bittersweet truth.
Robyn –
This is a MUST read. This book is dark and powerful, poetic and real. All at once feeling like you want to run into the main character’s vulnerable pain but wanting to look away at the same time. Morrison’s command of writing is perfection. Absolute perfection. The forward is also very helpful to read to give context to when she wrote it, her approach and what she may have wanted to change. Wonderful to read an artist’s self-reflection. If you’re a white woman looking to learn more about black women and men’s experiences of internalized and institutionalized racism and dismantle your privilege, this book is for you. Be prepared to cry and think hard.
Tamar –
Great read!
Tyler Corbin –
“The Bluest Eye” is a powerful and thought-provoking novel written by Toni Morrison, first published in 1970. Set in the 1940s in Lorain, Ohio, the story revolves around the life of a young African American girl named Pecola Breedlove. The novel explores themes of racial identity, beauty standards, and the devastating effects of internalized racism on individuals and communities.Here’s a review of “The Bluest Eye”:Compelling Narrative: Toni Morrison’s writing is beautifully poetic, drawing readers into the lives of the characters with vivid descriptions and emotive prose. The storytelling is immersive and holds your attention from beginning to end.Exploration of Racial Identity: One of the central themes of the novel is the quest for identity, particularly the struggle for racial identity in a society that values whiteness as the standard of beauty and worth. Morrison delves deep into the psychological impact of racism on young black girls like Pecola, who yearns for blue eyes as a symbol of beauty and acceptance.Complex Characters: The characters in “The Bluest Eye” are multidimensional and realistic, each grappling with their own personal demons and insecurities. Pecola’s journey is particularly heartbreaking as she faces constant rejection and abuse, which leads her to question her own self-worth.Social Commentary: The novel serves as a powerful social commentary on the damaging effects of racism and the perpetuation of beauty standards that exclude people of color. It forces readers to confront uncomfortable truths about society’s role in shaping perceptions of beauty and self-esteem.Non-linear Narrative: Morrison employs a non-linear narrative structure, which adds depth to the storytelling. The perspectives of various characters are interwoven, providing different viewpoints on the events of the novel and allowing readers to see the story from multiple angles.Impactful Themes: “The Bluest Eye” addresses themes of abuse, incest, and the brutal reality of growing up in a racially oppressive environment. These themes can be difficult to read about, but they are essential to the story’s exploration of the characters’ lives and experiences.Historical and Cultural Context: The novel also offers insights into the African American experience during the mid-20th century, shedding light on the challenges faced by black communities and the lasting scars of slavery and discrimination.
Ginny –
This book was required reading for a graduate course, “Institutional Prejudice”. I grew up in a small, nearly all white, midwestern town. Being a white person, I needed to understand the experiences of African American people. Wow, Toni Morrison’s and Maya Angelou’s books were pivotal in my social work education. Recently, bought it again for my mate
Shantae Porteous –
I loved the various perspectives that were able to tell their stories. Pecola’s story is one that is still relevant to girls around the world, and this book is timeless. It tells the reality of women and girls even to this day. The utmost point being how we blame our girls for the violence given to them and the weight that our women bear of navigating the titles of mother, wife, daughter, worker, caregiver and how they have so little left for self.
American Dreamer –
This book isn’t one you can say afterward “I really liked it,” but I doubt that it was Morrison’s intent to write some joy-filled easy reader. The themes are highly disturbing – severe child abuse, parental dysfunction and neglect, and racism based upon light and dark African-American skin color. I spent two months analyzing, discussing and reading this book for a senior-level college literature class, and it was an experience I won’t ever forget. There is no “happy ever after” ending, and certainly, Morrison breaks with literary tradition by revealing the “surprise ending” in the very first pages of the book.What’s fascinating are the unlikable characters. Pecola’s mother, for one. It’s difficult to ever feel sympathy for this woman and the bad life choices she made, specifically about returning to an insanely abusive husband, to the detriment of her two young children. After reading “The Bluest Eye” and spending so much time with the book, I understand why it is considered a modern classic in American literature.I almost went to war with a tenured professor who disagreed very strongly with my assertion that the dysfunction in the Breedlove family (including Pecola’s mother and father) was economic and cultural rather than being completely rooted in their ethnicity. No matter what race Pecola’s family happened to be, the tragic ending to “The Bluest Eye” would have probably been the same. The violent argument between Pecola’s mother and father transcends culture and race – if you had crazy parents or dysfunctional caretakers as a child, you’ll be both laughing and crying while you read that part of the book.
P. Whoody –
One day, i was working on contract in Northern CA, many years ago. I was walking into a Starbucks to have my Saturday morning tea before heading over to the gym. I am athletically built, but will not “flaunt” my physique in public. Thus, i always wore over-sized sweats which were comfortable.A tall skinny black guy was heading toward the same Starbucks door on foot, like myself. He looked at me. He had with him his prize possession. A half-dressed, skinny asian female with him. She was cylindrically built, flat chested, no butt – but half naked. A far cry from the physique of a professional athlete. But they didn’t see that. All they both saw was a black chick – probably overweight- in baggy sweats. *ugh*.Upon seeing me, his lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes went flat with absolute hatred. I’ve seen that look my whole life from young black men. Then suddenly, he grinned. He knew we were going into the same Starbucks, so he grabbed his lady-friend’s hand and started walking quickly. So quickly that he opened the door for her, then swiftly turned around, smiled in my face – and SLAMMED THE DOOR before i could grab the handle. Everyone in Starbucks saw this action. I held my head up, walked into that Starbucks and stood in line right beside that couple. He gave me a belligerent stare wondering if i was going to do something to his “property”. Though i was furious? I did not show it. Though i was ashamed. I did not show it. I ordered my tea when it was time, sat down and drank it. People were still staring even after that couple left. No one knew what to say. Regardless i did not sink that child’s level. I held my head high, and sipped my tea.This bought back so many humiliations in the past of how black people treat each other. I saw it within my family, school, my jobs, everywhere.And believe it or not, i once wished for blue or green eyes as well. Anything but my liquid deep brown, big, round eyes. Having blue eyes would have stunned so many that i thought were my enemies into silence. I would have been treated better by not only my own counter-parts – but by white people as well.Actually, that turned out not to be the case. Blue eyes don’t mean anything if you don’t love yourself. Just like that black guy who had attained what he considers a “prize” asian female. If you hate everything about yourself, nothing is going to change that. He was projecting everything he hated about himself – onto me. If it wasn’t me? It would have been someone else of his culture.Toni Morrison shows us, in this novel what the consequences are, if we seek “physical attributes/objects” to overpower the mental insufficiencies. I, and so many others could have gone the route of Pecola. In Toni Morrison’s novel. A very valuable lesson is taught. Regardless of how blue your eyes are, if you’re insecure? They will never be blue enough.
FlowerSystem –
This book is really difficult to read if you’re sensitive to themes of child sexual abuse, general child abuse, racism, and some animal abuse. Honestly, if you’ve been abused I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have to read it for a class because it takes the perspective of the rapist during the rape scene which was really difficult for me to read personally.HOWEVER, if you haven’t experienced abuse, this is a really important book. It gives you an important and vastly underrepresented perspective on the ways systems built on racism and neglect fail children of color and allow for horrific things to happen to them, and the narration of the book is actually beautiful and very compelling. It is hard to read, it is difficult subject material, but push through it. It’s a good and worthwhile book.
Fabiola E. –
Still thinking about this book even though it’s been 2 years since I read it. What a read!
Nichole –
This book just was able to capture so beautifully a range of emotions In a sort of everydayness that was relatable in such a haunting manner. Toni Morrison is able to capture the imagination of the mind’s eye. The characters come to life right on the pages.What a remarkable gift.
Heather –
Eye opening. Heartbreaking. Very visceral to read. It is said truth is stranger than fiction but in this case I’m afraid fiction may be closer to truth for more little girls than we know.
Bernica –
The cleverness of Toni Morrison in this book is amazing. The way she captures the experiences of each character and the why of their adult behavior. Clever indeed.
Amy Green –
It took a few pages but I became committed to the lives of the Breedloves. The horrific lives of people affected by the opinions of their community, friends, family and their financial position. I like the way Toni Morrison ties the character to a child’s story. I finished the book in 2 days which is a record for me.
Amazon Customer –
I absolutely love this book. I have read it countless times and each time I discover a new connection, metaphor, or understanding. Toni Morrison began her career on the right path with this novel, which discusses the dehumanizing effects of being Black during 1941, race, gender, and rape. The Bluest Eye is both bold and impactful, and not suitable for children.This is a story full of symbolism, metaphors, and hate; the captivating story of Pecola Breedlove. This is a story of Cholly, a downtrodden father, Pauline, a disillusioned mother, and Pecola’s baby…and everyone’s downfall.
Sims –
Interesting
Eric Richardson –
Genius in its flow, The Bluest Eye offers one of Morrison’s easiest read options. The metaphors are still there, but it is in a practical sense that you believe and care about these characters. This is supreme storytelling.
LAQUETTA WILKERSON –
Great reading
Brenda Brown –
It was a gift to my grand daughter
Julian –
Story about self confidence, race and self identity. Timely and timeless!
cheryl –
Wow, an amazing story that I’m glad I found and read. I am a student getting my degree in education and I have been taking classes on diversity and so I wanted to find authors with different ethnic and cultural backgrounds than me so I found Toni Morrison and her work is outstanding.
adia –
The bluest eye is a compelling, heartbreaking, laced with humor and humanity. It is the story of a young girl who views herself through the eyes of America and grows to despise herself. The book explores how this happens and the impact of it in society. Its a hard read, because the content is so disturbing and truthful and heartbreaking and familiar but it a must read.
Asher Abrams –
Toni Morrison’s first novel, ‘The Bluest Eye’, is – on the surface – the story of a young black girl who is raped by her father and becomes obsessed with the idea of having blue eyes. It is the story of the damage done by a crippling ideal of “beauty” imposed on black Americans in segregated America; and it’s also the story ofthe far more tragic and disabling consequences of accepting rejection as legitimate, as self-evident. I knew that some victims of powerful self-loathing turn out to be dangerous, violent, reproducing the enemy who has humiliated them over and over. Others surrender their identity; melt into a structure that delivers the strong persona they lack. But there are some who collapse, silently, anonymously, with no voice to express or acknowledge it.(Toni Morrison, from the 1993 foreword.) The responses here enumerated by Morrison are embodied by the principal characters: violence by Cholly (whose violent past, following his youthful sexual humiliation by white thugs, is hinted at) and, to a lesser extent, Claudia, who provides the main narrative voice for the story. (Claudia’s violent impulses are directed toward the blue-eyed baby doll, and toward the white neighbor girl Rosemary. But the introspective tone of Claudia’s narrative suggests that she has eventually learned to channel her anger.) Surrender is the path chosen by Pecola’s mother, Pauline (Williams) Breedlove, who imbibes visions of beauty from the silver screen and becomes wholly invested in her white employer, as illustrated by her response to the incident of the deep-dish berry cobbler.And Pecola is the “fourth child”, the child who cannot speak for herself. After being raped by her father Cholly while washing dishes (“on a Saturday afternoon, in the thin light of spring”), the desperate Pecola seeks the assistance of the creepy Soaphead Church – who, as it happens, shares Pecola’s yearning for blue eyes. (Soaphead’s back story further amplifies the theme of internalized racism.) Eventually, Pecola retreats into herself, staring into a mirror and speaking to an imaginary friend (the first of numerous phantom companions in TM’s novels).When I first read ‘The Bluest Eye’ as a young adult, I did not understand the centrality of Pecola’s baby to the story. This baby is the reason for the marigolds mentioned cryptically at the beginning of the story and not explained until near the end. It is concern for this baby – conceived in an act of rape and incest – that draws Claudia and her older sister Frieda out of their shells and propels them toward emotional maturity.“I thought about the baby that everybody wanted dead, and saw it very clearly.” Claudia and Frieda have taken a job selling seeds door-to-door; in this step toward adulthood, they are exposed to the conversations of the adult world. Slowly, they piece together the story of how their friend Pecola became pregnant by her own father. They worry for Pecola and feel compassion for her – and they worry for the baby, whose survival is in question after “that beating [Pecola’s] mama gave her.”And so, they respond with all the imaginative desperation of young children trying to propitiate forces stronger than themselves. I’ll be good. I’ll give up that bicycle. I’ll pray. The sisters do all of these things, to no avail. We are notified in a laconic, brutal half-sentence that “the baby came too soon and died.” Was it Pauline’s intention to terminate Pecola’s pregnancy by beating her? If so, then this is the first abortion in Toni Morrison’s novels. It will not be the last.
Cee –
Having first read this book when I was in grade school, I cannot count how many times I have since read it. Still, I return to the memory of when I was nine years old and marveled at the “Dick & Jane primers” referenced before the Breedlove and Pecola chapters. That young, I learned there are realities that are different—expressed differently in their authenticity. And, mine was one of them. Because of The Bluest Eye, I am of the generation that can say we do not know of a literary world where our unprivileged realities are unrecognized. Oh, what a saving grace! Thank you, Toni Morrison.
Michael D. –
I am not much of a bookreader, but a friend recommended this book. From the moment it started I found myself feeling like I was in the environment. Morrison writes very detailed, and precise even with the natural language.That is another thing – the language. I was suprised at how she was able to incorporate the slang, horrid southern grammar, etc while still being tactful.It is a drawn out book therefore I have managed to put it down, and weeks later come back and feel like it is a whole new book again. There tends to be a lot of characters toward the middle of the story, and therefore gets confusing if you stop reading it for weeks at a time.I’d still recommend the book if you want to learn about the southern life relating from a younger aged women perspective. I even found that I was laughing at a few parts of the book, then a few pages later I’d be almost crying.
Jen –
I’ve read many of Ms Morrison’s books. This one is, by far, my favorite. Rather than using abstract, poetic language, this work is direct, unflinching, yet also full of metaphors and symbolism. It’s the story of growing up poor and black. How even black people mistreat each other, as Maureen “Meringue Pie” so clearly does in this story. How self-loathing makes success impossible. How self-esteem improves your odds.Contrary to what other reviewers state, this book is not awful or a trigger for those of us, including me, whose childhood included sexual abuse by friends, family, community. I grew up in a white middle-class home with nearly identical abuse: it can happen anywhere.What I had that Pecola didn’t, due to my status in society, is resources to turn to as I fell apart. I have blue eyes. They didn’t save me. I was ridiculed, bullied, abused. I wanted power: height & strength. Power and love is Pecola’s wish, something she believes blue eyes, the bluest ones, will give her. All the adults fail her, just as nearly all failed me.The story is told beautifully. It is one of self-worth. Pecola has none. Claudia, the narrator, has quite a bit. Her perspective is powerful. I wish I had learned to love myself early but my family, like Pecola’s, didn’t teach that lesson.For anyone who thinks this book should be pulled from shelves, think again. Had I read this book when I was a young white girl in the 1970’s being traumatized by my family of origin, I would’ve found the truth in these pages and spoke up. It would’ve saved me years of pain.What are people afraid of being taught? Empowerment, self-worth, the consequences of trauma? I welcome my children to read everything and start a dialogue, even if it’s not with me. For it’s when we talk about abuse and bullying that light begins to shine into the darkness.This is better than Beloved, imo. The best of the five Morrison novels I’ve read to date.Stop fearing triggers and read, talk, study – let’s stop the cycle of childhood trauma.
Shanaye –
I’ve never really wanted blue eyes but I’ve always felt ashamed of my blackness growing up. I was always Black Gyal or Blackie. I was never Shanise. I was always, “nothing too black is good” or “your cousins are prettier than you because they’re lighter”. So I’ve always wanted, lighter skin, smaller shoulders, a straighter nose and a prettier face.I grew up though, I grew when my smile was seen and I was told how beautiful it was. I grew into myself, mentally and emotionally and I learned to love me in ways that my family could not. Now at 30, I am so beautiful, inside and out. This black skin that I proudly wear is evident of that. I wouldn’t want to be anything but a black woman.The essence of colorism in the black community was captured in all its glory in this book. The wanting to be something you’re not, Pecola, while accepting what you are, Claudia, captured two sides of the same coin when it comes to black lives. The love of whiteness and the hatred of blackness that was taught to our ancestors is still heredity even in today’s society. This is a book that all black girls and boys need to read. This should be a right of passage.Toni Morrison did a great job with this book. The Bluest Eyes invoked anger, pity, laughter and pride in 2689 pages of magnificent! I read it all in one go, I dear not put it down because I was so enthralled. Thank you.
J. Solder –
Dr. Morrison captures the experiences of a segment of the American population at a point in time that is largely unknown by most. The language is as beautiful as the subject matter is painful. It should be required reading in every school. Not surprised it isn’t, the truth often hurts the soul.
BarbaraK –
What a beautiful book. You are required to look truth in the eye. Face it. Own it. We are so good at telling ourselves exactly what we need to believe. Affirming the why’s and where’s of our existence and putting it all in a neatly wrapped package with a pretty bow. Reality is turning our heads and looking away, not looking at what is unfair, unjust, or ugly. Explaining to ourselves how it is not our problem, that perhaps it is deserved. This book was a recommendations as one of the best ten books of the last 50 years. It is.
Marty Francis –
Love this book! It is very sad, but that was the reality of things in those days— AND still today.
PUMPKIN –
This book is very well written and tells a story that is difficult to read. But in reading this work of fiction, I feel it helped me somewhat understand some perspectives and experiences that I would never have been exposed to on my own. The characters are so well developed and their lives described and presented in such a raw and touching way.
Cheryl Blackburn –
Good read for our young adults. Bought it for my grandson
Grandma –
I first read this book at a much younger age, but now I am re- reading it as a mother , grand mother , and great grand mother. Toni Morrison has the ability as a writer to delve into the hearts and minds of her characters. We first meet them as they are and then we come to understand why they are who they are. As an African American woman, growing up at about the same time as the individuals in her book did, I was compelled to look at some of the ideas and standards that originally shaped my thinking. I recommend the reading of this book to any reader seriously concerned about the racial issues we face today, but especially to African Americans who are still searching for validation. Mildred Strong
Cool Hand Luke –
Thank you for supporting literary freedom. After reading this “banned book” I am going to pass it along in the “underground library.” Keep freedom alive!
Brandy Casey –
This book gave me a healing I never knew I needed as a darkskin woman. It brought up a lot of hidden trauma and I truly admire Miss Morrison for being able to do that with her words. I needed that healing
T –
Amazingly written! The author has a way of expressing herself which made this book an outstanding read. It’s content was and is an incredible learning experience. Highly recommend this book, and this author. Will be purchasing more of her books.
C.S. –
One of Morrison classic books, a masterpiece.
Jill R. –
Toni Morrison has such a beautiful way of writing a story. She has a unique way of showing just how deep systemic racism invades and affects our lives.
Dawn Klinge –
I can’t say I enjoyed reading this book. It was heartbreaking and it contained blunt descriptions of incest, rape, animal cruelty, and abuse. But I’m glad I read it because it was illuminating in a profound way. I learned more about how systems built on racism create horrifically destructive internalized hatred among African-American people.
JenFerris –
This was my first Toni Morrison novel and I can definitively say I need more of her books in my life. Her writing style is so beautifully descriptive – like poetry. I found myself getting hung up on certain phrases because they were too good to just read once and keep going. Not to mention the content has the depth of character and story that I didn’t even know I was missing.
Janet Macleod –
Nothing to dislike. Book came well packaged and is is great condition.
scn –
So many damaged people, so much blame, shame in the world of humanity. The characters are incredibly knowable and yet so foreign to my life…but then, are they so different? I think back on my childhood ignorance, although I do not like to, and can think of times where my behavior to others was less than stellar (oh, how nicely i phrased that) no, where I caused harm. The Bluest Eye disturbingly brings those memories so carefully buried to mind again. When you read this book, see if you agree with me that the character of Mrs. Breedlove is the most fascinating.
JL Britten –
I have read many of Professor Morrison’s novels and rarely have I understood them. This book was different for me and I came to appreciate many of the characters represented. In this novel, I believe that the author is giving her readers a kind of “snap shot” of a number of kinds of “Black” people that one may be able to relate to. Her very stark representation of poverty contrasted with the rare character that had any kind of wealth allowed the reader also to have an appreciation for this disparity. I found this book to be not as hard to fathom as some of her other novels–but I would be remiss if my intention was to take anything away from her brilliant works. I must need to live longer to be able to comprehend them better.
nicole –
A little difficult to understand initially but once you pay attention to context then you really get into it. Read it for my AP Lit class (i’m a senior) and i would definitely read again on my own. It was extremely raw and touching.
G. Rogers –
if it’s on some yahoos’ banned books list, it’s time to buy it and read it.