Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

797 reviews

jennbcunningham's review against another edition

4.75

challenging emotional reflective tense

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Racism, Rape

The writing in this book is so beautiful. I was first introduced to this book in a banned books seminar my freshman year in fall 2012. Pecola’s story has haunted me ever since! Despite the devastating content, I wanted to return to this book. I remembered being enamored by the writing style. I read A Mercy in another lit class, but it didn’t stick with me the way this book did. I read this with my book club for February 2025 and enjoyed our discussion thoroughly: book banning is an easy topic of discussion with this book!

Mixed reviews from our book club, some found it hard to follow. Morrison critiques her own set up in the afterword. Personally, I loved the perspective from the children. So many lessons on both the purity of children and the limits within their observations. Complicated characters leave you to look at yourself more critically. The “seeds we sow” are an oft-utilized metaphor, but who is responsible for the soil? And what does it say of us if we expect those marigolds to fail but do nothing to nurture the soil around those seeds? Toni was a gift and I feel privileged to be left with so many of her words and explore our world through her writings.

lorenag5's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment

i_will_sing_no_requiem's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism

Moderate: Incest, Sexual assault

lindseykayperry's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape

sandybereading's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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If she looked different, beautiful, maybe Cholly would be different, and Mrs. Breedlove too. Maybe they’d say, “Why, look at pretty-eyed Pecola. We mustn’t do bad things in front of those pretty eyes.”

this quote is from the beginning of the book but carries so much more meaning once you finish the book. this book is so incredibly devastating & such a heartbreaking but eye-opening recount of colorism & internalized racism in the black community. i found the novel quite hard to follow for most of the book, so i think this book would best be read in a group setting with discussion. i really had to take my time with this read cos the material is just so emotionally heavy & the writing is kind of dense. but definitely an excellent read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Pregnancy

Moderate: Animal death, Racial slurs, Grief

Minor: Slavery

riccibaby's review against another edition

2.75

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Pregnancy

aspiringcowboy's review against another edition

2.5

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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frustrating in the ways it's supposed to be, but also so much more as well. the narrative is just very disjointed and takes away a lot of the impact of the story; i don't mind the fact that it's not from pecola's POV, because i think that's intentional - not giving her a voice in her own story does strengthen her character - but there's just a lot of tangents that feel unnecessary and out of place. i really don't understand the segue into soaphead church's background and the weird explanation of how he "could have been an active homosexual" but was "a coward" so he... became a pedophile targeting little girls instead?? i also really did not like how at the end claudia says cholly "loved" pecola: "He, at any rate, was the one who loved her enough to touch her, envelop her, give something of himself to her." a very weird way to discuss a man raping his own child. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape

Moderate: Racial slurs

savbai's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I really don’t know how to rate this book. There are instances of beautiful writing in which really complicated experiences are  eloquently explained…. But the story itself is very dark and sad. I thought it was going to be more of an exploration of race and experience, but instead it was just a compilation of tragedy, trauma, and people doing terrible things to one another. Trigger warnings of child abuse, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, racism, animal abuse, and animal death. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault

sk1m086's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence

elisacarlene's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Abandonment