Ask anyone, especially my family, that my memory of names of bands, movie plots and actors, and books I've read is spotty. It's almost laughable, according to my son.

At the same time, I can often pick out a lyric and a melody line from my memory, apropos to the situation.  My favorite in the newspaper office is the Paul Simon lyric, "Bad news, bad news, I heard you're backing to leave."

So not surprisingly, I don't remember much of Toni Morrison's "Bluest of Eyes," Beloved," or "Sula,"   

Beyond that I loved reading them, what I remember about those books is the clear articulation of the Black experience, especially those of Black women.  

For me, immersing myself in the experience of others helps me with my frustration of being defined and judged by others. It's been slow learning to understand the logic and the reasoning of Morrison, which clearly articulates that how another defines us has more to do with them--or the normative narrative they use to construct their reality--than it does with us.

It's something to remember, especially at this time of continual self-revealing behavior and exhibition on social media and beyond.

For more about this Nobel Prize for Literature winner, check out these links.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Toni-Morrison

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/toni-morrison

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bViluzWyau8