Today Chelsey and Sara are chatting about Beloved by Toni Morrison. This American masterpiece and 1988 Pulitzer winner tells the story of Sethe, a woman who escaped from slavery to find freedom for herself and her children, only to be haunted by the traumas of her past. It's a story of motherhood, womanhood, freedom, and redemption, and Morrison's genius and language are incomparable. Today's discussion includes:

• Sara sharing her experience with teaching this book and why it's the perfect book to bring into the classroom [4:10]
• Reading Beloved symbolically and being okay with not understanding everything [10:30]
• Each of us sharing why we love Toni Morrison and why this book might just be THE Great American Novel [36:03]

Plus, as always, we're recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic including a heartbreaking work of middle grade fiction and a debut novel from an award-winning nonfiction writer.

Shop the pairings: https://bookshop.org/shop/novelpairings

Resources mentioned:

The Stacks Episode 60 [27:27]

BBC World Books Toni Morrison Interview [30:28]

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Pairing spoilers ahead!

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Chelsey's Pairings:

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward [46:18]

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes [52:39]

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora [57:53]

Sara's Pairings:

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates [42:48]

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson [48:59]

The Mothers by Brit Bennett [55:29]

Chelsey's Pick of the Week: Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

Sara's Pick of the Week: The 1619 Project