Thursday 24 January 2013

book review: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

I just discovered this place in town where they sell books at only 100 bob each. What's even more encouraging is that the young man who sells the books actually reads them. So when he recommended this book I did not hesitate to buy it because I knew I was not going to be disappointed. This young man sells both shoes and books at the same time and complains that women come in more for the shoes than the books. Seriously, what do you expect when you put shoes next to books. Ofcourse shoes are going to win hands down! Infact it was the shoes that attracted me the first time before I noticed the books.


Anyway I finally finished the book and it was the most interesting book I have ever read in a long time. I now understand why Toni Morrison won the nobel prize in Literature. From a woman being born without a navel, a man trying to fly, a young woman dying of heartbreak( yes heart break), a dead man's bone kept smack in the livingroom in somebody's house to people talking to ghosts of people who died. Do not even get me started on the weird names some of the characters had Erie Lackawanna, Empire State, Hospital Tommy, Railroad Tommy, First corinthians, Magdalene called lena Dead and Pilate dead.

The book has very mature and controversial content which explains why it was banned in some schools for sometime. It talks about the black experience in America post slavery through the protagonists Macon "Milkman" Dead who the story revolves around. If you ever get your hands on the book please read it. I promise you, you won't put it down.