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A review by claudiaslibrarycard
Recitatif by Toni Morrison

emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Recitatif is a must read short story. Twyla and Roberta are 8 year old girls at an orphanage, but their mothers are alive. One mother is sick and the other dances all night. One girl is black, one girl is white. Which is which? 

Morrison never tells us who is who, but that’s the whole point. Told at multiple points in the girls’ lives and with the important memories of cruelty towards a employ of the school, Morrison deftly forces us to examine our stereotypes around race. 

This story is perfect, don’t miss it.