Person
Every book Wesley Morris recommended on podcasts
Wesley Morris appeared on The Book Review podcast across multiple episodes to discuss literature, historical contexts, and the enduring legacy of prominent authors. Morris shared that he was reading George Schuyler's satirical novel Black No More for a second time. In conversations about bestseller lists and contemporary commentary, he discussed the long-running success of Ta-Nehisi Coates's Between the World and Me alongside fellow critics. Additionally, Morris reflected deeply on his personal history with the works of Toni Morrison. He recalled discovering Morrison's writing in his youth, attempting to read Beloved as an eleven-year-old, checking out Tar Baby from his high school library, and being fascinated by Sula after a family member recommended it. Furthermore, he evaluated Morrison's wider bibliography during a retrospective on her legacy, offering critical perspectives on novels such as The Bluest Eye and noting that Paradise suffered in certain ways from being overwritten.
Books recommended by Wesley Morris
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Black No More
Black No More by George Schuyler is a sharp 1930s satirical novel that explores a fictional medical procedure allowing Black people to rapidly transform their skin color, upending American racial dynamics.
Recommended“well I am reading for the second time George Schuler's black no more”
Where to get it
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Beloved
Beloved by Toni Morrison is a powerful, haunting novel about a formerly enslaved woman haunted by the trauma of her past and the literal ghost of the daughter she lost.
Discussed“I tried to read beloved first oh yeah when I was 11 years old I tried to read beloved”
Where to get it
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Between the World and Me
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a bestselling epistolary book written as a letter from the author to his teenage son, exploring the reality of growing up Black in America.
Discussed“tas's book came out you know a year ago a couple weeks ago and I think I might have looked at it the week after it came out the the book and then I looked at it in February and it was still on the list”
Where to get it
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Paradise
Discussed“Paradise I agree with Dwight that it does suffer in some ways from being overwritten”
Where to get it
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Sula
Sula by Toni Morrison is a powerful, lyrical novel that explores the complex dynamics of female friendship, community expectations, and identity within a small Ohio town across several decades.
Discussed“and yeah I think my Katie had read she had read Sula because that was the book that I was most fascinated to read”
Where to get it
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Tar Baby
Toni Morrison's novel Tar Baby received thoughtful reflection and recommendation across multiple episodes of The Book Review in July 2024.
Discussed“and then a couple years later I checked out a copy of tar baby this this very Edition um from my my high school library”
Where to get it
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The Bluest Eye
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is a powerful and haunting debut novel that examines the tragic experiences of a young Black girl growing up in post-depression America who desperately longs for blue eyes.
Discussed“and and one day one of them pushed Across The Bluest Eye by Tony Morrison”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecting the Dots Between Reconstruction and Jim Crow | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 1 |
| From the Archives: Colson Whitehead and Jeffrey Toobin | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 2 |
| Toni Morrison's Legacy | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 5 |
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“there was this book that this woman had written about slavery and I don't know if at the time it was like talked about as like in some way related to roots or what”
“I know Leon Urus it's not really I read all of exodus”
“there's the JD Vance book which I haven't Hill I haven't gotten it yet”