February pick of the month: “The Origin of Others” by Toni Morrison
What is race and why does it matter? Why does the presence of Others make us so afraid? And how does literature employ skin color to drive narrative? In this slim-but-powerful collection of essays based on her Norton Lectures at Harvard University, Toni Morrison reflects on issues of race, identity, and mass migration to deliver a profound and moving work of nonfiction.
With a forward from National Book Award Winner Ta-Nehisi Coates, the beloved Morrison searches for answers and engages with politics, history, and literature in this timely and necessary collection. Ranging from Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ernest Hemingway, Flannery O’Connor, William Faulkner, and even her own writing — Morrison examines notions of race in American Literature from the 19th and 20th centuries.
It’s always an event to be graced with more words from Toni Morrison, and we aren’t let down here. The author of Beloved, Paradise, Sula — as well as many other now-classics — has firmly solidified herself in the literary canon, as she delivers lines like these with precision and nuance:
“Race has been a constant arbiter of difference, as have wealth, class, and gender– each of which is about power and the necessity of control.” A must-read for fans of America’s foremost novelist.
The WITF Pick of the Month is available at Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
