Milkman Dead was born shortly after a neighborhood eccentric hurled himself off a rooftop in a vain attempt at flight. For the rest of his life he, too, will be trying to fly. With this brilliantly imagined novel, Toni Morrison transfigures the coming-of-age story as audaciously as Saul Bellow or Gabriel García Márquez. As she follows Milkman from his rustbelt city to the place of his family’s origins, Morrison introduces an entire cast of strivers and seeresses, liars and assassins, the inhabitants of a fully realized black world.
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"This book confirms Morrison's stature as a Nobel prize winner. It is a masterpiece of fiction, that manages to restore a humanity, complexity and hope to people of colour, as they continue to explore what it could mean to be individuals, even if there is a shared history. Morrison schools the aspiring author on what it means to really write."
— Aneka (5 out of 5 stars)
“A powerful, sensual, and poetic exploration of four generations of a family mistakenly named Dead.”
— Library JournalA rich, full novel. . . . It lifts us up [and] impresses itself upon us like a love affair.
— The New York Times Book Review“Exuberant. . . . An artistic vision that encompasses both a private and national heritage.”
A rhapsodic work. . . . Intricate and inventive.
— The New Yorker“Stunningly beautiful. . . . Full of magnificent people. . . . They are still haunting my house. I suspect they will be with me forever.
— Anne Tyler, The Washington Post“If Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man went underground, Toni Morrison’s Milkman flies.
— John Leonard, The New York Times Book Review“It places Toni Morrison in the front rank of contemporary American writers. She has written a novel that will endure.
— The Washington Post“Lovely. . . . A delight, full of lyrical variety and allusiveness. . . . [An] exceptionally diverse novel.
— The Atlantic Monthly“Morrison is a terrific storyteller. . . . Her writing evokes the joyful richness of life.
— Newsday“Morrison dazzles. . . . She creates a black community strangely unto itself yet never out of touch with the white world. . . . With an ear as sharp as glass she has listened to the music of black talk and uses it as a palette knife to create black lives and to provide some of the best fictional dialogue around today.
— The Nation“A marvelous novel, the most moving I have read in ten years of reviewing.
— Cleveland Plain Dealer“Toni Morrison has created a fanciful world here. . . . She has an impeccable sense of emotional detail. She’s the most sensible lyrical writer around today.
— The Philadelphia Inquirer“A fine novel exuberantly constructed. . . . So rich in its use of common speech, so sophisticated in its use of literary traditions and language from the Bible to Faulkner . . . it is also extremely funny.
— The Hudson Review“Toni Morrison is an extraordinarily good writer. Two pages into anything she writes one feels the power of her language and the emotional authority behind that language. . . . One closes the book warmed through by the richness of its sympathy, and by its breathtaking feel for the nature of sexual sorrow.
— The Village Voice“Morrison moves easily in and out of the lives and thoughts of her characters, luxuriating in the diversity of circumstances and personality, and revelling in the sound of their voices and of her own, which echoes and elaborates theirs.
— The New Yorker" Once again I felt the pain of the characters. I wouldn't crack open a Morrison book if you are in the midst of a depression, but that's just me. "
— Tamera, 2/16/2014" A slow start that turned into a wonderful read. Beautifully written. "
— Shannon, 2/14/2014" What do you know, I like her now. She's great, and this was a thicker one than Sula but just as good. I have a few more of hers to tide me over until my black female writers class next semester. "
— C, 1/27/2014" The ending completely freaked me out to the point where I read the whole book again. I love the way she writes. "
— Cheryl, 1/26/2014" When I finished reading this book I sat back knowing it had meant something and that I had felt something, but I was not able to quantify it very well. There is much symbolism and thinking required for me to ever verbalize the themes/lessons of this book. And part of me thinks that there are too many themes to try and say: this is what the book means. Rather I feel like different actions and relationships can be analyzed and a message imparted. I have to think - how in the world did Morrison think of all this? Where did it come from, and what does it mean? It was similar to finishing East of Eden, by John Steinbeck. I did like the characters and the journey. There is a language disclaimer. I am not sure how I could justify reading the profanity in this book and not that of the Casual Vacancy, but they seem different to me. "
— Matthew, 1/15/2014" Most well-written book we read in my African American literature class. Too bad we didn't actually talk about it. "
— Ariel, 1/14/2014" one of the first books that i have actually REALLY liked that we've read for class. I've never read Toni Morrison, but i think i will continue to do so. <3 "
— Ash, 1/12/2014" Honestly, I thought this book was a lot less compelling than most of the ones I gave four stars to. But it is complicated and disturbing and I mean, who am I to give Toni Morrison three stars? WHO AM I TO GIVE TONI MORRISON THREE STARS? Four stars it is. "
— Nora, 11/18/2013" I think -if I remember correctly -this was the first book I read by Toni Morrison. It was one of her less convoluted stories I think -a very good book, as she is an excellent writer and storyteller! "
— Jeni, 11/15/2013" I love Toni Morrison. Read this one at a hostel in Panama City where we spent far too much time. Book exchanges are great. I especially liked Pilate's character. Morrison has a unique talent for putting poetry into prose. I wrote a lengthy paper on Sula, the novel that came before this one. "
— Danny, 11/3/2013" Meandering, dilatory, boring. I finished it just because it's Toni Morrison. I am still in love with Beloved, and I have yet to find another of her books that measures up... I'm reading Jazz right now as my final test... "
— Oceana9, 10/5/2013" I'm glad I stuck with this book. Part two was much better than part one. "
— Mhill7857, 9/27/2013" My favorite Toni Morrison book - brilliantly written. Would love to reread at some point. "
— Peachey, 9/24/2013" this book was a little difficult to get into. It wasn't my favorite book, but I didn't really hate it. This book is deffinetly a bold book, and not for youngins. "
— Tori, 9/24/2013" I recently reread this book. I loved it the first time and loved it more this time around. "
— Vanessa, 8/28/2013" Read it slowly, so you won't miss anything because here you have layers and layers of meaning, including some of the best chosen names I have ever come across. Captivating from the first scene to the final finish - or is it finished? "
— Ramona, 8/7/2013" Loved it. I still like The Bluest Eye more, but this is a close second. After finishing, I had to go get A Mercy, because I just can't get enough. "
— Casey, 5/15/2013" So amazingly imaginative and beautifully constructed--like an extended master fugue. Tearing one's heart over and over. Still my favorite of her books. "
— Rebecca, 3/5/2013" I thought this was a very heavy book. It took me along time to get through it dispite it's size. I found the same thing to be true w/ Love "
— Jeannie-marie, 2/22/2013" A well-written meditation on identity, responsibility, and goodness. "
— Beata, 12/22/2012" After teaching The Bluest Eye, this was a nice male-centric novel to balance out my Morrison experience. "
— Christie, 11/18/2012" Song of Solomon is a book about a young black man's search for identity. His quest for his origins sees him come to life and defy the accepted standard of existence and survival, which is what everybody around him seems to be doing. "
— Tony, 10/29/2012" I remember Pilate and Guitar and flying "
— Deborah, 8/26/2012" This book was truly amazing. Morrison weaved together so many themes from American life. Reading it was like watching someone do the impossible...the book is simply phenomenal. "
— Yvette, 8/9/2012" one of her best books "
— Lisa, 12/16/2011" i thought that it was a weird book. but then again i thought that it was sort of interesting. it's just one of those books that you never know what crazy thing is going to happen next. it's kinda like a page turner. i liked it for the most part. "
— Megan, 10/27/2011" I literally could not put it down, it was that good of a book. "
— Marlaina, 5/19/2011" I love her writing but I'm always left confused at the end. I would like to read all of her books more than once to understand it. Either way I loved this book. I love how she develops the characters and how she writes her stories. "
— Marilyn, 5/16/2011" I was surprised at how much I liked this book. I really enjoyed the themes of ancestors and family ties and the pollution of the pursuit of money within the family. Only read this one if you are willing to put in the effort. "
— Stephanie, 5/13/2011" This book may not count for my read books because it is my second time reading it.<br/><br/>I was surprised how much beauty I missed the first time. Again, I feel that the book is a bit political instead of art for its sake, but I suppose most books are. "
— Ke, 5/11/2011" After teaching The Bluest Eye, this was a nice male-centric novel to balance out my Morrison experience. "
— Christie, 5/11/2011" Had to read it for a college class. I found it disturbing and just not my cup of tea. "
— Sadonna, 5/10/2011" Find more to love about this book every time I read it. :) "
— Liz, 5/7/2011" What can I say? Just a spectacular book. Full of the imagery, depth of character, and themes that you might expect from this Nobel Prize winner. The story is complicated yet down-home and it just barrels on until the end. Beautifully written. "
— Barry, 5/5/2011" My favorite Toni Morrison book. She had a gift for being socially conscious and delivering a strong message. I got it and was awed. "
— Tiphanie, 5/4/2011" Toni Morrison humbles. She's the grand-master of it. <br/> <br/> "
— Emily, 4/26/2011" Too much to say. Incredible? One of the best books I've ever read? She has enviable style, tragic humor, impeccable structure. "
— Peter, 4/25/2011" Excellently written, it became a page-turner for me, which I didn't really expect. "
— Ray, 4/20/2011" I just don't think I'm smart enough to understand Toni Morrison's work. "
— Corrine, 4/16/2011Toni Morrison (1931–2019) was an American novelist, poet, essayist, editor, teacher, and professor. In 2012, President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She also received the Nobel Prize for Literature, the National Book Critics Circle Award, a Pulitzer Prize for literature, an American Book Award, the Norman Mailer Prize, the PEN/Saul Bellow Award, the Condorcet Medal, the Thomas Jefferson Medal, and the Anisfield Wolf Book Award, among others. She wrote twelve novels, including Beloved, which won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was made into a major motion picture starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover.