The Source of Self-Regard (2019)

The most acclaimed and beloved writer of the time has released a new nonfiction book, a rich compilation of essays, lectures, and thoughts on society, culture, and art spanning four decades. The Source of Self-Regard is overflowing with Toni Morrison's innate refinement of thought and language, literary talent, and moral compass. It is broken into three sections: the first begins with a powerful prayer for the 9/11 victims, the second with a probing reflection on Martin Luther King Jr., and the third with a heartbreaking eulogy for James Baldwin.

Morrison addresses contentious societal themes in the writings and speeches included here, including the foreigner, female empowerment, the press, money, "black matter(s)", and human rights. She examines persistent cultural issues such as the role of the artist in society, the literary imagination, the Afro-American presence in American literature, and the power of language itself in her Nobel address. And there's an incisive commentary on her own work (including The Bluest Eye, Sula, Tar Baby, Jazz, Beloved, and Paradise) as well as the work of others, including painter and collage artist Romare Bearden, author Toni Cade Bambara, and theater director Peter Sellars. Overall, The Source of Self-Regard is a brilliant and necessary contribution to Toni Morrison's oeuvre.

Link to read: goodreads.com/book/show/40265834-the-source-of-self-regard