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!
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!
I actually thought about suggesting that people no start with _Beloved_ but I thought that if I said that in then said that I thought it was the greatest American novel it would seem like I was saying something snobby. Plus, I would never want to discourage anyone from reading it. I've reread it several times and each time it has grown in my estimation. Thanks Sandy.
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
Dissing Toni Morrison would be blasphemy. I was uncomfortable even talking about the three books I mentioned as bad places to start because I was afraid people might not read them at all.
I haven’t read her yet, and I almost read Beloved back in February. Then, I got too busy reading YA books for the Black History Month book club I had for the students. Great list and helpful order! 👍🏼
So I've embarrassingly only read one Morrison novel! I read Song of Solomon for 9th grade English and I definitely plan to catch up with the rest of her oeuvre someday.
_Song of Solomon_ in the 9th grade! I never could have gotten through it at that age. No reason to be embarrassed, think about how great it is to have so many great books a from a great author you get to read in the future.
@@BookishTexan I assume I missed a lot reading it that young! I remember loving it. We also read The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver that year - tough topics all around! And yes, many Morrison books to look forward to! 😊
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.
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.
When I thought about doing a video in this series about Morrison _Paradise_ was the book that jumped out. I thought it was very good, but my goodness its a challenging read. You are probably right about _Beloved_. Several commenters here have said they didnt like _Beloved_ and that it put them off of Morrison, but I couldn't have brought myself to tell people not to start with it. I definitely think it is a book that you can read at a too young an age.
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.
I've only read Beloved and didn't enjoy it, but maybe I wasn't ready for Morrison when I read it, I've found a lot of canon I've gone back and read later dramatically improved... I think I'll give her another try at some point soon, but I think I'll avoid Beloved encase it just wasn't my book.
Try The Bluest Eye, Sula, or Song of Solomon. If you ever decide to reread Beloved, get the Vintage edition with the foreword/preface written by Morrison. She explains there the story of Margaret Garner, a historical figure upon whom Sethe's story is based, which helps find your footing with the novel. If you read The Bluest Eye or Sula and still don't click with Morrison, though, then I suspect it may just be the writing style, which I think I remember you describing as "slippery" when we read The Prophets.
That may be the case. There are a few books that I have reread that have clicked for me the second time particularly when there was a long time in between. Courtney’s response about _The Bluest Eye_ mirrors my thoughts on which of her books to try next.
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.
I like Morrison's fiction, but I don't love it. I really enjoyed The Bluest Eye, Sula, and Song of Solomon, but I found Beloved so mannered and overdone that I stopped reading after the first 20 or so pages and never read another one of her novels after that. And yes, I am aware that I'm completely alone in that estimation. I have thought that I should go back to Beloved to see if I just had indigestion when I read it, but I haven't yet. Thanks for the impetus to try again.
I loved Sula and Beloved is one of my favorite novels. Jazz wasn't great for me and Paradise was a complete miss. I still have to get through the rest of her catalogue.
I’ve read Sula, Bluest Eye, and Song of Solomon. I really enjoy Toni Morrison as well. Song of Solomon is my favorite to date. I haven’t read Beloved yet. I know I need to. I will check out Paradise.
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.
Thank you Hannah. Your Morrison in 2020 read along is the only reason I could make this video. I read so much of Morrison for the first time last year. _Jazz_ was the first of her books that I ever read so it felt odd saying it was not a book to start with, but several people had difficulties with it last year. Whenever I think about Morrison's as a writer I think first of how brilliant she was and second of strong and uncompromising she was in her vision of her books and her ideas about who she was as a writer. Something I believe she had in common with James Baldwin.
@@BookishTexan I am so sorry I backed out-sorry I missed the chance to read with you et al. My in-real-life Morrison buddy and I are still planning to read the second half of the list together, perhaps starting this fall.
@@BookishTexan I don’t feel guilty-just disappointed. I was new enough to Booktube that I assumed reading with my IRL friend would be far more meaningful than reading with Booktube people could possibly be. I now know that I was absolutely wrong on that front!
I still need to get to _Home_ , but agree about the others. As soon as I started talking in this video my mind kept telling me that Morrison was so good you could start almost anywhere and not go wrong.
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 ❤
@@BookishTexan My English is very basic and I'm afraid I won't understand it if I read it in its original language. Maybe when I reread her books in the future I'll give it a try, because I really admire her work a lot.
@@carolinabho I think as long as your are enjoying them you should continue to read them in Spanish. It sounds like the person who translated her books did an excellent job.
I don't think I can break it down in any meaningful way. There are a lot of Biblical allusions that I missed. I would definitely have to reread it to even feel comfortable trying to explain it at this point.
@@BookishTexan or like a summery of each chapter. I think the reason this book is not talker about as much is because no one really knows what really happened
I don't. I haven't read enough James and I don't really like Hardy. I have one for Hemingway, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, McCarthy, and I have plans for one over Balzac and William Trevor.
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.
Great post ...Hi Ange ..Ditto . Paradise was my first with Barter Hoards BC , loved it but pretty complex .... I'm working my way through that series with A Mercy and Beloved is coming up next ...can't wait ...
@@hesterdunlop7948 I think with Paradise I could not give it the attention it needs, so I need to start working my way through. I watched a documentary about Toni Morrison and it had “spoilers” for all her books, which makes me want to get to them more.
OK, Doc, my turn on the couch. I read Beloved for a class in high school and didn't get it, was pretty scared off by it. Tried to listen to Source of Self_regard on audio a couple years ago, and couldn't finish because it seemed to wander. HELP! What should I read to get me in?
Start at the beginning with _The Bluest Eye_ . But, I'm pretty sure if you went back and reread _Beloved_ you'd get a lot more out of it than you did in High School.
@@BookishTexan Good advice; I can't stop the Opportunity Cost goblins sitting on my shoulder from yammering though....feel like giving my time to new black authors is a better use of my reading time. :/
Margaret, please read The Bluest Eye - you will not regret it! Also, if you ever decide to reread Beloved, get the Vintage edition with the foreword/preface written by Morrison and read it before starting the novel. It gives a couple of spoilers, but these are things it's better to be clear on going into the novel so as to avoid potential confusion later on. Heck, maybe I should just host a readalong of Beloved next year! 🙂
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.
As soon as you said not to start with Tar Baby I couldn't help but laughing - it's the first one I ever read, and I didn't read any more of her books for a solid 5 years. I didn't dislike it, but I wasn't super compelled. Last summer I decided to give her another go and started with The Bluest Eye and have been hooked ever since, although to give Morrison the benefit of the doubt, I'm a much more mature reader now as well.
I can see how that would happen. I think you almost have to know Morrison's other books for _Tar Baby_ to seem compelling. I don't know why, exactly but maybe its that after reading some of her best books you trust her more. Thanks for your comment.
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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!
_Tar Baby_ does seem to be the odd ball in her early novels.
Morrison is one author whose signature I might have sought out.
Thanks for your comment.
I read Jazz. Is she doing anything there that #Faulkner didn't do first?
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!
I actually thought about suggesting that people no start with _Beloved_ but I thought that if I said that in then said that I thought it was the greatest American novel it would seem like I was saying something snobby. Plus, I would never want to discourage anyone from reading it. I've reread it several times and each time it has grown in my estimation. Thanks Sandy.
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
I have _The Prophets_ on my list of books to remember to get to sometime.😁Your comment moves it up the list.
Title gave me a jolt. I almost didn't watch this one. Should have known you wouldn't dis Toni Morrison.
Dissing Toni Morrison would be blasphemy. I was uncomfortable even talking about the three books I mentioned as bad places to start because I was afraid people might not read them at all.
I haven’t read her yet, and I almost read Beloved back in February. Then, I got too busy reading YA books for the Black History Month book club I had for the students. Great list and helpful order! 👍🏼
Thank you Kari. I hope you will like _Beloved_ .
So I've embarrassingly only read one Morrison novel! I read Song of Solomon for 9th grade English and I definitely plan to catch up with the rest of her oeuvre someday.
_Song of Solomon_ in the 9th grade! I never could have gotten through it at that age.
No reason to be embarrassed, think about how great it is to have so many great books a from a great author you get to read in the future.
@@BookishTexan I assume I missed a lot reading it that young! I remember loving it. We also read The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver that year - tough topics all around! And yes, many Morrison books to look forward to! 😊
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.
_The Bluest Eye_ is brilliant, but it is painful.
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.
When I thought about doing a video in this series about Morrison _Paradise_ was the book that jumped out. I thought it was very good, but my goodness its a challenging read.
You are probably right about _Beloved_. Several commenters here have said they didnt like _Beloved_ and that it put them off of Morrison, but I couldn't have brought myself to tell people not to start with it. I definitely think it is a book that you can read at a too young an age.
I started with The Bluest Eye and agree with your assessment. It was a great place to start.
It is an amazing first novel!
Aha I didn’t land on the “wrong” ones after all! 😂
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.
Thank you Gail. Glad to hear you loved _Beloved_ I agree with you about both _Beloved_ and _Sula_.
I started with The Bluest Eye, then Beloved, and Sulla. I’ve been meaning to read more of her work.
I hope you will. She's one of the greats. _Song of Solomon_ is great btw.
Thanks for the video, Brian. Very helpful. I own Beloved and haven’t read it yet. Soon, I say. Soon.
Thanks for watching. I hope you will like _Beloved_. I've reread it a few times and each time it gets better for me.
@@BookishTexan Good to know!
I am looking forward to re-reading Beloved later this year. Thanks for this helpful video!
I reread it last year and that reading really moved it to the top of my list.
Heh, I don't think this is the response you were hoping for, but I feel like I should go and read Tar Baby now! 🤣
Hmmm. . . not necessarily the response I was looking for, but knowing you I'm not surprised.😁
I've only read Beloved and didn't enjoy it, but maybe I wasn't ready for Morrison when I read it, I've found a lot of canon I've gone back and read later dramatically improved... I think I'll give her another try at some point soon, but I think I'll avoid Beloved encase it just wasn't my book.
Try The Bluest Eye, Sula, or Song of Solomon. If you ever decide to reread Beloved, get the Vintage edition with the foreword/preface written by Morrison. She explains there the story of Margaret Garner, a historical figure upon whom Sethe's story is based, which helps find your footing with the novel. If you read The Bluest Eye or Sula and still don't click with Morrison, though, then I suspect it may just be the writing style, which I think I remember you describing as "slippery" when we read The Prophets.
That may be the case. There are a few books that I have reread that have clicked for me the second time particularly when there was a long time in between. Courtney’s response about _The Bluest Eye_ mirrors my thoughts on which of her books to try next.
Great list 👍
Thank you.
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.
Thanks Pae. I think _Song of Solomon_ would be a great place to go next. It is more sweeping(?) in its scope and themes.
I like Morrison's fiction, but I don't love it. I really enjoyed The Bluest Eye, Sula, and Song of Solomon, but I found Beloved so mannered and overdone that I stopped reading after the first 20 or so pages and never read another one of her novels after that. And yes, I am aware that I'm completely alone in that estimation. I have thought that I should go back to Beloved to see if I just had indigestion when I read it, but I haven't yet. Thanks for the impetus to try again.
Blasphemy!🤓
Hope you will try again, but it’s not like you haven’t tried.
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.
It is an incredibly complex book. I'm glad I read it, but it is not one that I think about rereading though I probably should.
I loved Sula and Beloved is one of my favorite novels. Jazz wasn't great for me and Paradise was a complete miss. I still have to get through the rest of her catalogue.
Yeah, I was thinking of your reaction to _Jazz_ when I chose it as one not to start with. 😁
Kim, I feel sure that you would like (if not love) both The Bluest Eye and Song of Solomon.
I’ve read Sula, Bluest Eye, and Song of Solomon. I really enjoy Toni Morrison as well. Song of Solomon is my favorite to date. I haven’t read Beloved yet. I know I need to. I will check out Paradise.
_Song of Solomon_ was my favorite until I reread both last year. For me _Beloved_ is so controlled and powerful that it edges out _Song of Solomon_.
It is a great book.
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.
Thank you Hannah. Your Morrison in 2020 read along is the only reason I could make this video. I read so much of Morrison for the first time last year. _Jazz_ was the first of her books that I ever read so it felt odd saying it was not a book to start with, but several people had difficulties with it last year. Whenever I think about Morrison's as a writer I think first of how brilliant she was and second of strong and uncompromising she was in her vision of her books and her ideas about who she was as a writer. Something I believe she had in common with James Baldwin.
@@BookishTexan I am so sorry I backed out-sorry I missed the chance to read with you et al. My in-real-life Morrison buddy and I are still planning to read the second half of the list together, perhaps starting this fall.
@@HannahsBooks Oh goodness I didn't mean to make you feel bad about that, quite the opposite.
@@BookishTexan I don’t feel guilty-just disappointed. I was new enough to Booktube that I assumed reading with my IRL friend would be far more meaningful than reading with Booktube people could possibly be. I now know that I was absolutely wrong on that front!
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.
Thank you Heidi
From what I have read of Morrison, I agree with your assessment. Sula, Song of Solomon or Home would be my suggestion for a first read of Morrison.
I still need to get to _Home_ , but agree about the others. As soon as I started talking in this video my mind kept telling me that Morrison was so good you could start almost anywhere and not go wrong.
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 ❤
Thank you for watching and commenting. Sula is great and one I definitely want to reread. I am impressed that you are reading her work in Spanish.
@@BookishTexan My English is very basic and I'm afraid I won't understand it if I read it in its original language. Maybe when I reread her books in the future I'll give it a try, because I really admire her work a lot.
@@carolinabho I think as long as your are enjoying them you should continue to read them in Spanish. It sounds like the person who translated her books did an excellent job.
I’ve got a picture for you, found in a used bookstore! Somewhere I can send? :)
If you are on Voxer send me a message at bbruce2116
@@BookishTexan thx!
No thank you
Sorry there should be a comma in that sentence.
Thank you!
Can you please do a brake down on paradise I finished it and I'm still confused as to what happened
I don't think I can break it down in any meaningful way. There are a lot of Biblical allusions that I missed. I would definitely have to reread it to even feel comfortable trying to explain it at this point.
@@BookishTexan or like a summery of each chapter. I think the reason this book is not talker about as much is because no one really knows what really happened
Bookish! Do you have a video like this for Henry James or Thomas Hardy?
I don't.
I haven't read enough James and I don't really like Hardy.
I have one for Hemingway, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, McCarthy, and I have plans for one over Balzac and William Trevor.
@@BookishTexan will check them out, thank you!
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.
Great post ...Hi Ange ..Ditto . Paradise was my first with Barter Hoards BC , loved it but pretty complex .... I'm working my way through that series with A Mercy and Beloved is coming up next ...can't wait ...
@@hesterdunlop7948 I think with Paradise I could not give it the attention it needs, so I need to start working my way through. I watched a documentary about Toni Morrison and it had “spoilers” for all her books, which makes me want to get to them more.
@@anges_book_chatter yes ! I had to start it again as I lost track of everything ... but so worth it ..I still think about that book a lot .
I think you will like _The Bluest Eye_ it is remarkable, but also painful and beautifyl
Glad loved _Paradise_ I think its great too, but so dense.
OK, Doc, my turn on the couch. I read Beloved for a class in high school and didn't get it, was pretty scared off by it. Tried to listen to Source of Self_regard on audio a couple years ago, and couldn't finish because it seemed to wander. HELP! What should I read to get me in?
Start at the beginning with _The Bluest Eye_ . But, I'm pretty sure if you went back and reread _Beloved_ you'd get a lot more out of it than you did in High School.
@@BookishTexan Good advice; I can't stop the Opportunity Cost goblins sitting on my shoulder from yammering though....feel like giving my time to new black authors is a better use of my reading time. :/
Margaret, please read The Bluest Eye - you will not regret it! Also, if you ever decide to reread Beloved, get the Vintage edition with the foreword/preface written by Morrison and read it before starting the novel. It gives a couple of spoilers, but these are things it's better to be clear on going into the novel so as to avoid potential confusion later on. Heck, maybe I should just host a readalong of Beloved next year! 🙂
@@CourtneyFerriter Excellent and specific advice! Thanks, Courtney :) Excited for The Edwardians??
@@MargaretPinard Yes! When do you want to start it?
IMA put _The Bluest Eye,_ as well as _Sula_ on my tbr. I've re _Tar Baby,_ and _Beloved._ I agree, 'tis a great American novel . . .
Both are well worth the read.
I mentioned Toni Morrison's "Beloved" as a contender when I asked "What is the Great American Novel?" in my A Tag.
Great minds think alike I guess.😃
@@BookishTexan Beloved and The Bluest Eye were also mentioned by other book tubers answering the prompt about The Great American Novel.
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.
_The Bluest Eye_ is a great place to start even though the subject matter is rough (which is pretty true of Morrison's books in general).
@@BookishTexan I’ll go in mentally prepared.
Great video idea! Glad I discovered your channel!
Thank you. Glad you discovered my channel as well.
As soon as you said not to start with Tar Baby I couldn't help but laughing - it's the first one I ever read, and I didn't read any more of her books for a solid 5 years. I didn't dislike it, but I wasn't super compelled. Last summer I decided to give her another go and started with The Bluest Eye and have been hooked ever since, although to give Morrison the benefit of the doubt, I'm a much more mature reader now as well.
I can see how that would happen. I think you almost have to know Morrison's other books for _Tar Baby_ to seem compelling. I don't know why, exactly but maybe its that after reading some of her best books you trust her more. Thanks for your comment.