Beloved by Toni Morrison
Out of Human Bondage Into Emotional Bondage
The story enthrallingly dissolves
in and out of the past and present offering readers glimpses of wholly tragic situations. It begins in the middle when Sethe’s mother-in-law dies shortly after her two
boys run away. This leaves Sethe alone with her daughter, Denver, and the spirit of her dead baby, Beloved. Beloved is an oppressive reminder
of the meaning of freedom and eventually manifests herself in a human form to
reveal the haunting truth behind her death.
I’ve read a couple other moving
novels about slavery, but nothing like this.
This book unfolds vivid, raw descriptions of unimaginable horrors—atrocious
acts committed by one human against another.
I can see why this won a Pulitzer prize.
It’s hauntingly unforgettable:
the chokecherry tree, the chain gain, and mostly Beloved. The circumstance
of Beloved’s death is also based on a true event, which makes it all the more
wrenching.
Powerful.
This is not a book to be read for
enjoyment. It’s about enlightenment.
This book met several
of my 2015 Book Challenges: Read a Pulitzer-prize winning book; Read a
book set in the 1800s; Read a classic book from “Kickin' It with the Classics”;
Read a book from “The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge” list. ______________________________________________
For other enlightening books that
transcend the color of skin and expose unforgettable human injustices, consider
the following memoirs and biographies:
Genocide:
Left to Tell by Immacculée Ilibagiza
Left to Tell by Immacculée Ilibagiza
Modern-Day Slavery:
Slave by Mende Nazer and Damien Lewis
Slave by Mende Nazer and Damien Lewis
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
These books remind us that
regardless of race or religion, we are all the same. We are humans—humans who are sometimes tragically
conditioned to hate.
Annette
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