"What you do to children matters. And they might never forget."
In news that amounts to at least an 8 on the literary Richter scale, Knopf has announced that it will publish Toni Morrison’s 11th novel in April 2015. At that point, book world luminaries will hurriedly convene to invent new prizes, because the 83-year-old author has already won all the old ones. What we know: Full Article by BrowBeat
Spare and unsparing, God Help the Child (Signed Copy) is a searing tale about the way childhood trauma shapes and misshapes the life of the adult. At the center: a woman who calls herself Bride, whose stunning blue-black skin is only one element of her beauty, her boldness and confidence, her success in life; but which caused her light-skinned mother to deny her even the simplest forms of love until she told a lie that ruined the life of an innocent woman, a lie whose reverberations refuse to diminish . . .
Booker, the man Bride loves and loses, whose core of anger was born in the wake of the childhood murder of his beloved brother . . .
Rain, the mysterious white child, who finds in Bride the only person she can talk to about the abuse she's suffered at the hands of her prostitute mother . . . and Sweetness, Bride's mother, who takes a lifetime to understand that "what you do to children matters. And they might never forget."
Publishers Weekly
In Morrison's short, emotionally-wrenching novel, her first since 2012's Home, a mother learns about the damage adults do to children and the choices children make as they grow to suppress, express, or overcome their shame. The story begins with the birth of Lula Ann Bridewell, a midnight black baby whose mother cannot stand to touch her. Grown-up Lula Ann transforms herself into Bride, a stiletto-wearing, Jaguar-driving California executive with dark skin proudly accentuated by stylish white clothing. Amid preparations for the launch of her signature cosmetics line, Bride offers a gift-bag of cash and cosmetics to parolee Sofia Huxley, the kindergarten teacher Bride accused of sexual abuse 15 years before, earning Bride maternal approval and Sofia her prison sentence. Sofia's angry rejection of Bride's present, coinciding with the departure of Bride's lover, inspires such self-doubt that Bride fears regressing back into Lula Ann. A car accident lands her in a culvert, where a little girl keeping dark secrets of her own comes to the rescue. Nobel laureate Morrison explores characteristic themes of people held captive by inner struggles; the delusion of racism; violence and redemption. Her literary craftsmanship endures with sparse language, precise imagery, and even humor. This haunting novel displays a profound understanding of American culture and an unwavering sense of justice and forgiveness.
God Help the Child, slated for release April 2015.
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The Toni Morrison Society, an official member of the coalition of American author societies that comprise the American Literature Association. With its founding, the Toni Morrison Society became the 41st author society of the Association and the fourth dedicated to an African American author.
This Month’s Top Picks in History
History isn’t a dusty collection of old stories—it’s urgent and deeply relevant. It’s the map that shows us how we got to where we are today. From a stirring, first-person account of the civil rights movement, to a revealing look at two commanding figures of the Civil War, to an inspiring story of wartime survival, this month’s top picks in history will remind you how we’re all connected to what’s gone before.TheReview Accommodates Many Voices. Thanks for Reading!
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