Song of Solomon in Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

May 12, 2008 Steven rated it really liked it

Shelves: race, 1001

As I go through this “1001 Books to Read Before You Die” exercise, not really intending to complete the list but still enjoying the journey, I am asked periodically by friends and acquaintances why I am doing it. Sometimes I think the same myself; there are so many great books that come out every month, why I am reading these classics? I think my experiences with this book and Toni Morrison’s work in general is a great example of why I consider reading these works to be valuable.

Full confession, As I go through this “1001 Books to Read Before You Die” exercise, not really intending to complete the list but still enjoying the journey, I am asked periodically by friends and acquaintances why I am doing it. Sometimes I think the same myself; there are so many great books that come out every month, why I am reading these classics? I think my experiences with this book and Toni Morrison’s work in general is a great example of why I consider reading these works to be valuable.

Full confession, Toni Morrison’s works are not my favorite. It took awhile to get through most of her stuff and when finishing one of her works, I rarely felt great about what I read. Even putting aside the subject matter of her work, which can often be quite heavy, I think I generally would say that I rarely had the desire to call up my friends and recommend one of her works.

All that said, I think this was truly an impressive work and it was probably my favorite of Morrison’s. “Beloved” is probably the better work, “Jazz” stuck with me longer, “Sula” is more accessible, and “Bluest Eye” might be more powerful, but there was something about the combination of all of those factors that made this one really special to me. Like most Morrison, it is a bit tough, especially if you are not a big fan of magic realism, like yours truly.

There are a whole host of themes that complicate the plot, but my favorite part of this novel and the reason it is my favorite Morrison work, is the theme of self discovery and the black experience in America. A lot of great works contain a protagonist that goes on some sort of journey, but the journey in this one is truly a doozy. Also, I really love how this book explores a theme which I think is often neglected in our culture: identity with one's past and where you come from is not quite so easy for a large group of Americans, especially those who are black. Tracing the family tree and knowing where you came from to better understand where you are going is not quite so cut-and-dry for some people and I think we too often forget that in our country.

Getting back to the original point of this review, I think that reading Morrison has been enriching. There are all sorts of reasons why I like to read, be it to understand myself or the world around me better, to hear a great story, to recollect, to be moved, or to simply find out what happens next, but I think reading Morrison has been something that has been a good thing and there is no way I would have picked her up without the 1001 list.
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