The source of self-regard, by Toni Morrison, 3.5 rounded up

[NancyJ]

I read two Toni Morrison books this month, and this one was difficult in parts. It got easier as I went along, particularly when she was discussing specific people, personal reflections and books. I hate to admit when I can't understand something, but I know that every field (and sub discipline) has specialized terminology or jargon that others won't readily understand. So I just kept going, and sometimes an example later on would lead to an "aha" moment.

I love seeing how her experiences in real life and in her academic life led to some big creative achievements. Her feelings of disquiet often led to fascinating insights and new lines of inquiry. I most enjoyed hearing about some of the nagging questions in her mind that eventually led to a great material for a novel. Her discussion of Sula was especially interesting to me. One of her key disquieting questions was one that I also grappled with in my field. This made Sula particularly interesting to me. I also enjoyed the fact that in the novel Sula, with it's tight knit community, there was no need to introduce conflict or challenges from white people. It would have gotten in the way of the story. I look forward to reading more of her novels.