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.