Book Review: The Bluest Eye

This was my choice for 1970 for The Century Challenge.

Summary from wikipedia: Claudia and Frieda MacTeer live in Ohio with their parents. The MacTeer family takes two other people into their home, Mr. Henry and Pecola. Pecola is a troubled young girl with a hard life. Her parents are constantly fighting, both physically and verbally. Pecola is continually being told and reminded of what an “ugly” girl she is, thus fueling her desire to be Caucasian with blue eyes. Throughout the novel, it is revealed that not only has Pecola had a life full of hatred and hardships, but her parents have as well.

My Thoughts: I think I was supposed to read this in college at some point but never actually finished the book. I've always meant to read Toni Morrison so I guess it's appropriate to start with her first book. It is the story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove, who believing that blond haired, blue-eyed girls live better lives, prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. It was startling to read the story of Pecola , who is mistreated by her parents, eventually being raped by her father and separated from them, coming to live with the MacTeers. The two girls in the family feel resentful of her as they are too young to really understand what is going on. Though it is only one year in Pecola's life, it is the year that she will forever be changed by the events that occurred.
I am looking forward to reading more books by Toni Morrison, based on how much I enjoyed this one.