by Toni Morrison

This is Toni Morrison’s first novel, and it is set in Lorain, Ohio, the author’s girlhood hometown.  The novel tells the story of black, eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove, who prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be as beautiful and beloved as all the blond, blue-eyed children in America.

Pecola’s life does change in the course of the novel, but not in the ways she would have wished. Critics argue that The Bluest Eye is one of Morrison’s most powerful, unforgettable novels.

PBS did a documentary on Toni Morrison in its American Masters series. The whole documentary is nearly two hours long and you can access it here. PBS helpfully provides a much shorter clip from the documentary that has Morrison’s thoughts specifically about The Bluest Eye.

In January’s New Yorker, Hilton Als wrote an appreciation of Morrison which dealt extensively with The Bluest Eye.