Toni Morrison, the author of important American works such as “Beloved,” “Sula,” and “The Bluest Eye” has died at 88. She grew up the daughter of a welder and a homemaker who encouraged her to dive into books. After attending Howard University, Morrison started her career as an editor at Random House and remained in her day job as an editor as she went on to write her own works.
Morrison’s book “Beloved” won her the Pulitzer Prize and cemented her as a force within the American canon. Morrison’s other accolades include becoming a Nobel Laureate, receiving the National Medal for Humanities, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She also supported and mentored writers by working as the Humanities Chair at Princeton until her retirement in 2006. Morrison loved writing books that she wanted to read and changed the course of American literature in the process.
Morrison is the subject of the 2019 documentary “The Pieces I Am.” She will forever be remembered for her prose exploring black identity in America.