Toni Morrison: Life, Liberty, and Literature

2017 | Essays

Toni Morrison is one of the most celebrated living authors. Her work, for which she received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993, vibrantly portrays American life from the Antebellum period to the present. Her best-selling novels and short stories have been adapted for theater and film, influenced countless artists, and have been widely read on college campuses for decades. Hendrick provides a short, contextualizing biography about Morrison's life and then moves through Morrison's work, introducing students to slavery, segregation, law, and civil rights. In five brief chapters, bolstered by interviews, excerpts, and historical documents, Toni Morrison provides a perfect analytical bridge between literature and history. Routledge Historical Americans is a series of short, vibrant biographies that illuminate the lives of Americans who have had an impact on the world. Each book includes a short overview of the person's life and puts that person into historical context through essential primary documents, written both by the subjects and about them.

A series website supports the books, containing extra images and documents, links to further research, and where possible, multi-media sources on the subjects. Perfect for including in any course on American History, the books in the Routledge Historical Americans series show the impact everyday people can have on the course of history.

Veronica Hendrick (Author)