WithTheBanned

Parable of the Sower | Octavia E. Butler

pick

It really is amazing how close to reality this book is. I‘ve read it before but I was glad to read it again with #WithTheBanned @Jadams89

Kristin_Reads Agreed! I just finished this one and it‘s mind-blowing that it was written in 1993! 23h

65 likes1 stack add1 comment

lil1inblue

The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison

pick

This is a brutal, but necessary, read. It is a re-read for me for #withthebanned. It was valuable to read it while also reading Hood Feminism. Pecola is the sort of woman that white feminism often ignores. I appreciate that I get something new from this book on each re-read.

34 likes

JenlovesJT47

The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison

pick

I read this for #WithTheBanned & give it a soft pick. It‘s not pleasant to read but it does make you think. I wasn‘t a fan of the writing style format & it took awhile to get used to it. I wonder how it translates to audio. 3.5⭐️

54 likes1 stack add

Jadams89

The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison

#WithTheBanned Discussion Question 3

Jadams89 @SconsinBookyBadger @PaperbackPirate @CogsOfEncouragement @Amiable
@peanutnine @CatLass007 3w

Jadams89 @thewallflower0707 @catsandbooks @megabooks @Kenyazero @CoverToCoverGirl @Bookbuyingaddict @CuriousG @AllDebooks 3w

Jadams89 @lil1inblue @Deblovestoread @dabbe @5feet.of.fury @TheDaysGoBy @AnishaInkspell @Melismatic @bookwormjillk @KT1432 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 3w

See All 11 Comments

Jadams89 @JenlovesJT47
@BooksBlanketsandahotbeverage
@Read4Life @skygoddess1
@Julsmarshall @Lapreader 3w

5feet.of.fury In my opinion, the statement means that they felt empathy/sympathy but didn‘t do anything to change the sad reality & circumstances. Whether it was the racism, classism or child abuse 3w

TheDaysGoBy They felt sympathetic but they didn‘t do anything. Whether it was taking actual action to make change or even just telling everyone they know about the book/having a conversation about it 3w

lil1inblue @5feet.of.fury I agree. The story could still be written today. 3w

Read4life I agree with the previous comments. I think a lot of people probably read this, felt sympathy/empathy but shied away from engaging others in conversation about these difficult issues. 3w

dabbe To add to everyone's excellent thoughts, I think readers were touched by Pecola's plight, but they didn't transcend that sympathy to others going through similar situations outside the novel and in the real world. Being touched is more of a surface-level feeling--to feel empathy while reading the novel but then to move one. Perhaps readers at that time weren't ready to engage with these difficult topics at a deeper level like they might be today. 3w

Melismatic I took this to mean as readers we felt empathy, but not moved because this felt almost too familiar, sadly. 3w

Deblovestoread Like so many issues today it seems to big to tackle. We can feel those emotions but do not know how to create change. 2w

29 likes11 comments

Jadams89

The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison

#WithTheBanned Discussion Question 2

Jadams89 @JenlovesJT47
@BooksBlanketsandahotbeverage
@Read4Life @skygoddess1
@Julsmarshall @Lapreader 3w

Jadams89 @lil1inblue @Deblovestoread @dabbe @5feet.of.fury @TheDaysGoBy @AnishaInkspell @Melismatic @bookwormjillk @KT1432 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 3w

Jadams89 @thewallflower0707 @catsandbooks @megabooks @Kenyazero @CoverToCoverGirl @Bookbuyingaddict @CuriousG @AllDebooks 3w

See All 9 Comments

Jadams89 @SconsinBookyBadger @PaperbackPirate @CogsOfEncouragement @Amiable
@peanutnine @CatLass007 3w

TheDaysGoBy Being a white woman I‘m not going to presume to know about being black today and how it may have changed since this book was published. That said, our society does like to force impossible image standards on people and presumes a lot about a person because of it. Like with diet culture. We‘re made to believe being thin is the only way to be. Body sizes might be more inclusive now but there‘s still always that pressure to be thin 3w

Melismatic Rape culture and how as women we often shrink ourselves as perceived protection. 3w

dabbe Like @TheDaysGoBy, I can't presume to know what issues affect people of color today. However, like Pecola, many individuals today, particularly young people, still struggle with issues of low self-esteem and a lack of identity, facing pressure to live up to unattainable standards of beauty, success, and worth. Regarding community and how it ostracized Pecola, society still often turns a blind eye toward those who are vulnerable and marginalized. 3w

lil1inblue I'm also reading Hood Feminism right now. It actually is a good pairing, though it was purely by accident. Pecola is the embodiment of the women Mikki Kendall argues (rightfully) that feminists have left out. I think Kendall's book also shows that many of the issues that Black folks face in The Bluest Eye are still very much relevant today, and are still ignored by society at large. 3w

Deblovestoread Like @Melismatic Rape culture and victim blaming. 2w

26 likes9 comments

Jadams89

The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison

#WithTheBanned discussion question 1.

The Bluest Eye was not assigned reading for me. In fact, this book only came on my radar in the last few years.

Jadams89 @JenlovesJT47
@BooksBlanketsandahotbeverage
@Read4Life @skygoddess1
@Julsmarshall @Lapreader 3w

Jadams89 @lil1inblue @Deblovestoread @dabbe @5feet.of.fury @TheDaysGoBy @AnishaInkspell @Melismatic @bookwormjillk @KT1432 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 3w

See All 17 Comments

Jadams89 @thewallflower0707 @catsandbooks @megabooks @Kenyazero @CoverToCoverGirl @Bookbuyingaddict @CuriousG @AllDebooks 3w

Jadams89 @SconsinBookyBadger @PaperbackPirate @CogsOfEncouragement @Amiable
@peanutnine @CatLass007 3w

Melismatic Not for me! I didn‘t discover Toni Morrison‘s writing til college when I took a Women‘s Studies class and some of her work was suggested reading. This novel wasn‘t on the list. In high school (early 00s), we read a sum total of two books that were by either a woman (The Outsiders) or a POC (Monster). The rest that I recall were all written by white men. (edited) 3w

5feet.of.fury As require reading I only read

Recitatif

Bookwormjillk Not me. When I graduated in 96 our curriculum was still firmly classics on repeat. 3w

CatLass007 Toni Morrison was never assigned reading. I don‘t think I heard of her until the late eighties when a coworker was reading Beloved. 3w

TheDaysGoBy Not for me. I‘d never read Toni Morrison before this and I hadn‘t really heard about this one 3w

Kenyazero I did not. I probably would have hated it though. I hated almost all of the assigned books in high school (and English was my favorite class!). 3w

lil1inblue This was assigned reading for me in college. I can't recall what class. It was the early 2000s. I believe it was also on the list of independent study books we could choose from in AP Humanities in high school (1997/98). I knew of Toni Morrison from my mom before that, but I didn't read anything of hers until college. 3w

Read4life I didn‘t read this until I started working in a bookstore and several customers recommended Morrison to me. 3w

dabbe No, I did not. She wasn't big on the radar in the 80s that I remember. None of her books were on our district book list in high school either (too controversial), but this book has appeared on the AP Literature exam quite a few times. 3w

CogsOfEncouragement No, this was never assigned to me, and this was my first time reading it. 3w

willaful I remember reading an excerpt from it in Junior High. That would have been in the late 70s. 3w

Deblovestoread Sorry I am late. I did not have this as assigned reading and this is my first Morrison. It won‘t be my last. 2w

30 likes17 comments

dabbe

The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison

#withthebanned @Jadams89
An unforgettable novel in which Morrison tackles complex and deeply painful issues with sensitivity and skill. It is a brutal read in terms of content regarding issues of race, CSA, identity, and beauty. it‘s not a book for everyone, and the emotional toll it takes can be significant. But for those ready to wrestle with its darkness and complexity, it offers a profound and thought-provoking reading experience.

Butterfinger Great review. 3w

dabbe @Butterfinger TY! 🩵🩶🩵 3w

73 likes2 stack adds2 comments

AllDebooks

The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison

Happy #Chatterday

I've had the best afternoon celebrating this lil dude's 1st birthday. I'm now snuggled up in bed #WithTheBanned book. 😍

AnnCrystal 🤩🥳🎂🍰💝. 4w

Leftcoastzen Awesome! 4w

Suet624 ❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4w

See All 7 Comments

dabbe HB, Little Dude! 🤩🤩🤩 4w

IuliaC Happy birthday! 🎈🎂 4w

Cupcake12 Happy birthday little guy! 🎉🎉🎉 4w

Gissy Happy Birthday 🎉🎊🎂🥳 4w

63 likes7 comments

Jadams89

Parable of the Sower | Octavia E. Butler

Reminder that our #WithTheBanned read for February is Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. I‘ll post our discussion questions for January‘s book in the next few days.

#BuddyRead

Jadams89 @JenlovesJT47
@BooksBlanketsandahotbeverage
@Read4Life @skygoddess1
@Julsmarshall @Lapreader 1mo

Jadams89 @lil1inblue @Deblovestoread @dabbe @5feet.of.fury @TheDaysGoBy @AnishaInkspell @Melismatic @bookwormjillk @KT1432 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 1mo

Jadams89 @thewallflower0707 @catsandbooks @megabooks @Kenyazero @CoverToCoverGirl @Bookbuyingaddict @CuriousG @AllDebooks 1mo

See All 9 Comments

Jadams89 @SconsinBookyBadger @PaperbackPirate @CogsOfEncouragement @Amiable
@peanutnine @CatLass007 1mo

Bookwormjillk Looking forward to this one 1mo

TheBookHippie Enjoy it‘s sooo good!!!! 1mo

Melismatic I love this novel & its sequel (and considering current political/climate events, it‘s almost too familiar). Looking forward to the discussion. 1mo

Kenyazero This is an excellent book, but so stressful. There's a graphic novel adaptation too, and it looks amazing! 4w

Bookbuyingaddict Looking forward to it thanks 🙏 for included me x x 4w

45 likes2 stack adds9 comments

Welcome to Litsy!

Trending Hashtags

Trending Books