WiththeBanned

#WithTheBanned Discussion Question 3

Jadams89 @SconsinBookyBadger @PaperbackPirate @CogsOfEncouragement @Amiable
@peanutnine @CatLass007 2d

Jadams89 @thewallflower0707 @catsandbooks @megabooks @Kenyazero @CoverToCoverGirl @Bookbuyingaddict @CuriousG @AllDebooks 2d

Jadams89 @lil1inblue @Deblovestoread @dabbe @5feet.of.fury @TheDaysGoBy @AnishaInkspell @Melismatic @bookwormjillk @KT1432 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 2d

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Jadams89 @JenlovesJT47
@BooksBlanketsandahotbeverage
@Read4Life @skygoddess1
@Julsmarshall @Lapreader 2d

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 2d

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 2d

lil1inblue @5feet.of.fury I agree. The story could still be written today. 2d

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. 2d

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. 2d

Melismatic I took this to mean as readers we felt empathy, but not moved because this felt almost too familiar, sadly. 2d

26 likes10 comments

Jadams89

The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison

#WithTheBanned Discussion Question 2

Jadams89 @JenlovesJT47
@BooksBlanketsandahotbeverage
@Read4Life @skygoddess1
@Julsmarshall @Lapreader 2d

Jadams89 @lil1inblue @Deblovestoread @dabbe @5feet.of.fury @TheDaysGoBy @AnishaInkspell @Melismatic @bookwormjillk @KT1432 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 2d

Jadams89 @thewallflower0707 @catsandbooks @megabooks @Kenyazero @CoverToCoverGirl @Bookbuyingaddict @CuriousG @AllDebooks 2d

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Jadams89 @SconsinBookyBadger @PaperbackPirate @CogsOfEncouragement @Amiable
@peanutnine @CatLass007 2d

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 2d

Melismatic Rape culture and how as women we often shrink ourselves as perceived protection. 2d

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. 2d

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. 2d

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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 2d

Jadams89 @lil1inblue @Deblovestoread @dabbe @5feet.of.fury @TheDaysGoBy @AnishaInkspell @Melismatic @bookwormjillk @KT1432 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 2d

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Jadams89 @thewallflower0707 @catsandbooks @megabooks @Kenyazero @CoverToCoverGirl @Bookbuyingaddict @CuriousG @AllDebooks 2d

Jadams89 @SconsinBookyBadger @PaperbackPirate @CogsOfEncouragement @Amiable
@peanutnine @CatLass007 2d

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) 2d

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. 2d

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. 2d

TheDaysGoBy Not for me. I‘d never read Toni Morrison before this and I hadn‘t really heard about this one 2d

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!). 2d

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. 2d

Read4life I didn‘t read this until I started working in a bookstore and several customers recommended Morrison to me. 2d

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. 2d

CogsOfEncouragement No, this was never assigned to me, and this was my first time reading it. 2d

willaful I remember reading an excerpt from it in Junior High. That would have been in the late 70s. 2d

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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. 3d

dabbe @Butterfinger TY! 🩵🩶🩵 3d

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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 🤩🥳🎂🍰💝. 5d

Leftcoastzen Awesome! 5d

Suet624 ❤️❤️❤️❤️ 5d

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dabbe HB, Little Dude! 🤩🤩🤩 5d

IuliaC Happy birthday! 🎈🎂 5d

Cupcake12 Happy birthday little guy! 🎉🎉🎉 5d

Gissy Happy Birthday 🎉🎊🎂🥳 4d

60 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 7d

Jadams89 @lil1inblue @Deblovestoread @dabbe @5feet.of.fury @TheDaysGoBy @AnishaInkspell @Melismatic @bookwormjillk @KT1432 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 7d

Jadams89 @thewallflower0707 @catsandbooks @megabooks @Kenyazero @CoverToCoverGirl @Bookbuyingaddict @CuriousG @AllDebooks 7d

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Jadams89 @SconsinBookyBadger @PaperbackPirate @CogsOfEncouragement @Amiable
@peanutnine @CatLass007 7d

Bookwormjillk Looking forward to this one 7d

TheBookHippie Enjoy it‘s sooo good!!!! 7d

Melismatic I love this novel & its sequel (and considering current political/climate events, it‘s almost too familiar). Looking forward to the discussion. 7d

Kenyazero This is an excellent book, but so stressful. There's a graphic novel adaptation too, and it looks amazing! 5d

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

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Bookwormjillk

The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison

pick

#WithTheBanned @Jadams89
This novel was a tough read but in the best way. Toni Morrison is so good at painting a picture with words, and does a phenomenal job reading the audiobook.

sarahbarnes 🩵🩵🩵 2w

73 likes1 comment

CogsOfEncouragement

The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison

This was my first time reading,
and oof, heartbreaking.

#WithTheBanned

dabbe I hope I can find the wherewithal to finish it. 😔 3w

CogsOfEncouragement @dabbe It is a book I have wanted to read for awhile, not realizing the subject matter. I pushed through to finish it today. It helped to read Anne of the Island before and I‘m following it up with a cozy mystery and then a Nancy Drew. 3w

staci.reads One of my favorites. 3w

dabbe @CogsOfEncouragement An escapist book will be PERFECT after this one. Thanks for the tip. 3w

45 likes4 comments

Kenyazero

The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison

pick

This month's #WithTheBanned read is not gentle. It takes on internalized and external racism, generational trauma, and the harm of lack of diverse representation in media. It's a stunning read, but review the content warnings. The end includes an excellent afterward by the author that delves into her choice to explore these themes through the lense of such a traumatic, unaverage case. I was disappointed in what she equates homosexuality to.

Kenyazero Used for #GottaCatchEmAll Spinda: someone is drunk or high @PuddleJumper; and #OwlHouseReadathon Stringbean: being true to yourself 3w

Reggie There is a passage about a couch in here that I always think of. This book is brutal but so well written. 3w

PuddleJumper 🍹🍹 3w

Kenyazero @Reggie yeah, that was a very vivid and striking description! 3w

36 likes4 comments

Melismatic

The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison

pick

Overwhelming, indeed. There‘s so much here to parse through. And to think this was Toni Morrison‘s first novel.

I need time to gather my thoughts. Most immediately, I assume this is commonly “banned” for its description of sexual assault (and sex itself) but the anchor of this story is somehow even more heart-breaking? I doubt I‘d be able to handle it at a young age myself.

#WithTheBanned

Jadams89

Melismatic It‘s wild to say depictions of sexual assault toward *children* isn‘t the foremost takeaway here. But this novel is so nuanced - so much can get potentially get lost in knee-jerk reactionary feelings. This story is clearly meant to make you sit with your feelings, uncomfortable but it‘s also harshly real. (edited) 3w

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