89. Song of Solomon - Toni Morrison

This is a beautifully written story about four generations of the Dead family, centered around the main character Macon "Milkman" Dead III. Milkman got his unfortunate nickname because he was breastfed for too long and was, in essence, a "mama's boy." His mother, Ruth Foster Dead, is the daughter of the town's only black doctor. She completely idolizes her father and often makes her husband feel inadequate. (side note - this seems to be a common theme several books I've read recently, including The Color Purple and A Raisin in the Sun. Interesting).

Milkman has a sister, Pilate, who does not have a navel (not sure of the significance of that). Pilate has a daughter, Reba, and Reba has a daughter, Hagar - and Hagar is obsessed with Milkman and tries to kill him several times. Milkman's best friend, Guitar, also tries to kill Milkman when he suspects that Milkman has cheated him out of some gold that Guitar is trying to steal to help fund a group of which he is part. The group is called "Seven Days," and their goal is to commit revenge killings against white people in response to the killings of black people. For example, after the four little girls were killed in the church bombing, they go kill four little white girls to "even out" the killings.

There are a lot of complicated characters and themes in this book, so a brief overview really doesn't do the book justice. But I'll share some of my favorite quotes anyway! Here's one from Guitar, from a conversation he has with Milkman:

And black women, they want your whole self. Love, they call it, and understanding. "Why don’t you understand me?" What they mean is, Don’t love anything on earth except me. They say, "Be responsible," but what they mean is, Don’t go anywhere where I ain’t. You try to climb Mount Everest, they’ll tie up your ropes. Tell them you want to go to the bottom of the sea—just for a look—they’ll hide your oxygen tank .... You blow your lungs out on the horn and they want what breath you got left to hear about how you love them. They want your full attention.

This description of Hagar made me smile (and think it's sad that men really talk like this):

She was the third beer. Not the first one, which the throat receives with almost tearful gratitude; nor the second, that confirms and extends the pleasure of the first. But the third, the one you drink because it's there, because it can't hurt, and because what difference does it make?

(Isn't that passage, crass as it is, so incredibly poetic?!) Ultimately, Milkman ends up in Virginia searching for the gold, and meets a woman who tells him about his family history. There, he learns about his great grandfather Solomon who was said to have escaped slavery by "flying back to Africa."

I won't spoil the ending for those who haven't read it. I think what makes this book so good (and part of the reason why Toni Morrison won a Nobel Prize for Literature!) is how it's not just well-written - it's almost poetic in some parts. She really draws you into the story. The characters are also complex and certainly grow throughout the book. Definitely a good read - thanks to Jessica for the recommendation, Chris for lending it to me, and of course my mom for introducing me to Toni Morrison's books when I was just four years old :)