This was a hard read.

This book is an artful story centered around Pecola, a young black girl whose life is woeful and harsh. Morrison explores the generational impact on the racial self-loathing of Pecola. She does a thorough job by diving deep into Pecola’s family AND the generational effect that created her bullies and friends. Her attempt at grounding the people around Pecola and the town were wonderfully executed through the multiple POVs throughout the book. There are so many layers of this story that were personally confronting and stories that are far too real. 

However, I agree with Morrison that this book conveys pity for Pecola more than understanding of how she is the most vulnerable person in society to become a product of both her home and community. I think one too many awful things occur to Pecola. Although none of it is out of the realm of reality, the frequency and progression of these events in this story cause that divide between Morrison’s intention and execution.