The Bluest Eye (1970)

The Bluest Eye was Morrison's debut novel, published when she was 40 years old. Though it did not get immediate attention, it is undoubtedly Morrison's most intimately personal work, as it is set in Lorain County, where she grew up. This debut novel follows a little Black girl named Pecola as she grows up in Morrison's hometown of Lorain, Ohio, in the years following the Great Depression.

Pecola is often taunted about her dark complexion, hair, and eyes, which makes her want for the white qualities she considers more attractive, such as blonde hair, bright eyes, and pale skin. However, while the young girl prays for the miracle of blue eyes, her personal life takes a tragic turn. Morrison boldly proclaims the issues that would power her extended career, literary jet fuel, from racial strife to sexual abuse to her characters' inner problems.

Link to read: goodreads.com/book/show/11337.The_Bluest_Eye