On Morrison

Deep and enriching.... I have waited years for this book.... Serpell has managed to deliver a book that works on many levels: as a study of craft, as a critical appraisal, and as a tribute to an artist who was difficult in all the right ways -- Laila Lalami * Guardian *
[Serpell has] hopped on a rocket and touched the Tonisphere, with her mind... Serpell's excitement, her sense of discovery and dismay, become yours -- Wesley Morris * NYTBR *
Serpell brings her expertise and eye to Toni Morrison’s singular literary genius. Maybe you’ve memorised The Bluest Eye, Sula or Morrison’s essays by heart, or you’ve decided to revisit an author you were first introduced to in school. Either way, this work will deepen your understanding of and appreciation for one of the greatest writers and editors of the 20th century * Harper's Bazaar *
Serpell is a superlative essayist, and On Morrison a high-flying, fantastically erudite rendition of how Morrison wanted to be read, blending the scholarly and the personal response to her work with seamless flair and conviction -- DIANA EVANS, author of Ordinary People
Informed, accessible literary analysis -- Sam Sax * Wall Street Journal *
Serpell examines Toni Morrison’s oeuvre with the rigor of an academic and the admiration of a fellow creative... refreshingly jargon-free and accessible to most readers of Morrison’s novels and essays * Los Angeles Times *
In On Morrison, Serpell applies her prodigious intellect, vast literary archive, and her own calling as a novelist to magnificent effect in this breathtaking, provocative, and refreshing engagement with Morrison as a thinker as well as an artist -- IMANI PERRY, author of South to America
A thrilling, candid and immersive study... A necessary book, and a brilliant achievement -- PRETI TANEJA, author of We That Are Young
Stunning reconsiderations of Morrison... incisive, tender, and also honest and unsparing -- HANIF ABDURRAQIB, author of A Little Devil in America
On Morrison is not simply a literary miracle; it is a cultural feat, a damn near perfect concoction made maybe once in a generation... we should be thankful to share the earth with this art object -- KIESE LAYMON, author of Heavy: An American Memoir
Morrison gave me language to understand the voices of my African-American kin. In this brilliant book, Namwali Serpell invites the reader into an intimate conversation. She is scholar - with an incisive intellect and a questing spirit. And she is literary bestie: accessible, challenging and illuminating -- ELLAH P. WAKATAMA
As gripping as it is intellectually brilliant... a lucid and revelatory close-read of all of her work... On Morrison is a classic -- CATHY PARK HONG, author of Minor Feelings
Serpell’s deep but clear investigation of Morrison’s literary genius is one of the best primers to an author’s oeuvre I’ve ever read * Esquire *
An impressive, nuanced work of scholarship * Kirkus, starred review *
Insightful and stimulating... Through exceptional close readings and sharp analyses, Serpell puts Morrison’s genius on full display. This will enthrall Morrison fans and cultivate new ones * Publishers Weekly, starred review *