The Bluest Eye

Set in Lorain, Ohio, in the years after the Great Depression, the novel follows Pecola Breedlove, a young Black girl who believes that blue eyes would make her beautiful and loved. Through the perspectives of her classmates Claudia and Frieda MacTeer, the book examines the damage caused by racism, poverty, family instability, and internalized ideals of white beauty. As Pecola's wish intensifies, her home life becomes increasingly destructive. Morrison's first novel explores how social rejection and beauty standards shape identity and self-worth.

by Toni Morrison

Holt, Rinehart and Winston · First published 1970 · 164 pages