How to Read Toni Morrison and Where to Start, with Namwali Serpell
5/21/202654 min
Jeff and Rebecca sit down with literary critic and Harvard University professor Namwali Serpell, author of On Morrison, for a conversation about how to approach her famously difficult body of work. They discuss Morrison's modernist experiments with form, the recurring themes of her work, and why feeling confused and unsettled by her books can be a sign that you're on the right track. Then, Dr. Serpell offers suggestions for which books to start with and how to progress through Morrison's novels. Listen to Passages: On Morrison on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcatcher of choice. Subscribe to our free newsletter, and become a member for access to early, ad-free listening and bonus content. Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read! Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks to our sponsor, Merit Beauty. Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com. Head to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJeff O'Neill· Host0:00
This episode of Zero to Well Read is brought to you by ThriftBooks.com. Today, it's a bonus episode with Professor Namwali Serpell talking about how to get into Toni Morrison. Professor Serpell is a Morrison scholar. She had a book come out this year called On Morrison, which Rebecca and I really liked, and got to have a conversation with her about reading Toni Morrison and how you might do that as a beginner. And if you wanna do that, the book she suggests is Sula by Toni Morrison. You're gonna hear about why. And on ThriftBooks.com, there's a whole bunch of editions. I'm gonna shout out one here particularly. You can get a hardcover first edition in good condition, so it's probably, you know, got some wear on it, for $22, $23 dollars. Really cool. If you want something in slightly better condition that's a little less expensive, when Sula and Morrison were part of the Oprah Book Club consortium, there was a re-release of the original hardback of Sula with the original cover art and everything that you could get, and you can still find it now. You do have to deal with an Oprah's Book Club sticker, so I warn you there, but still, a pretty cool find and piece of literary history to find on ThriftBooks.com. Thanks to them for sponsoring this episode of Zero to Well Read. Let's get into the show. [upbeat music] Welcome to Zero to Well Read, a podcast about everything you need to know about the books you wish you'd read. I'm Jeff O'Neill.
Rebecca Schinsky· Host1:22
And I'm Rebecca Schinsky. Today, we're taking on one of the most common questions from Zero to Well Read listeners: how and where do you start with Toni Morrison?