Bibliographic Information: Morrison, T. (2000). Beloved. Penguin Group, New York, N.Y. ISBN: 0140283404
Plot Summary: Beloved is a complex story that intertwines history, slavery, family, sexual abuse, violence and the supernatural. The novel centers around Sethe and her daughter, Denver. They have escaped from slavery and are living at 124 Bluestone, which is haunted. A poltergeist visits regularly and because of this, Sethe's son's run away. A former slave, Paul D, who worked at the plantation where Sethe and her family previously worked, pays a visit to 124 Bluestone. He tries to bring Sethe back to reality but in his attempts he brings back the ghost of Beloved. Sethe and Denver believe that a young women they find in front of their house is Beloved, Sethe's first daughter and Denver's sister.
Critical Evaluation: The plot of Beloved is so layered and complex that I found it difficult to follow. It was also difficult digesting the sexual aspects of the novel, particularly bestiality, rape, taking a baby's milk from the mother and reference to incest. Yet, Beloved is a great novel because of the descriptive and gut reactive nature of the story. There is so much to learn from the story: history, slavery, lives of the slaves, abuse including sexual abuse and family relationships. It is no wonder that it won a Pulitzer Prize but it is also no wonder that it is on the top of the most challenged books. The novel is so powerful, though, that the reader will not forget it.
Annotation: Beloved is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set in the post-Civil War in Ohio. The novel is based on the lives of a slave and her family.
About the Author: Toni Morrison has had a very distinguished career. In 1993 she won a Nobel Prize in Literature and in 1998 she won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Beloved. Toni Morrison was born in Ohio. She read constantly as a child. She received her B.A. in English from Howard in 1953 and her M.A. in English from Cornell in 1955. After graduating, she became an English instructor at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. She returned to Howard to teach English and met her husband, Harold Morrison, a fellow faculty member at Howard. They had two children, but their marriage ended in divorce.
Toni Morrison has written 9 novels and other works. She has taught English at numerous universities and is active in the arts and politics.
Genre: Fiction
Curriculum Ties: Social Science/ Slavery/ Human Rights
Talking Points: After years of slavery and abuse, is Sethe imagining that her new home is haunted? Is Beloved real? Is Paul D doing good for Sethe and her family?
Reading Level & Interest: 16 and up
Challenge Issues: Many: Bestiality, abuse, incest, rape, violence, sex
Reason for Inclusion: Many: Powerful story, historical references, lives of slavery, family life of slaves.
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