With its vivid evocation of the feat and loneliness at the heart of a child's yearning, and the tragedy of it's fulfillment, The Bluest Eye remains one of Toni Morrison's most powerful, unforgettable novels?and a significant work of American fiction.
-- oprah.com



Adapted for the stage by Lydia R. Diamond and directed by Tony Award winner Trezana Beverly, members of The Urban Triangle have already signed up to see the Carolina Playmakers' rendition of this Nobel Award winning novel. Groups of 10 to 24 receive a 15% discount off of the regular price of $20. With new members signing up every day, we are well on our way to receiving the group rate!

In addition to the play, our newly formed book club has selected The Bluest Eye as its featured selection for the month of November. Comprised of readers from varied backgrounds, The Urban Triangle Book Club will feature a book each month from Oprah's past Book Club selections. The club plans to meet on the 2nd Sunday of every month. All are invited and encouraged to participate.

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Why Everyone Should Read The Bluest Eye
from oprah.com


While The Bluest Eye is about an African American family struggling with issues of identity and race, Toni Morrison explains why her book, in fact, has a message for everyone.

"I think a lot has changed since the '60s in terms of self-image. But there's still a lot of pain young girls feel because the bar is always being raised. The stakes are always higher."

When Oprah asked whether the word "beautiful" should be eliminated, this was Toni's response:

"That's what I thought. Of the virtues, it is not one. The virtues are not the accidents of birth. The virtues are things you work for. To be forthright. To be educated. To be in control. To be diplomatic. To be healthy. To be graceful. These are the things you can work for. You can get them. They are available to you."

"We don't have the vocabulary to tell children what to value. We do say, "Oh, you're so beautiful. Oh, you're so pretty. Oh?that's not really what we really ought to be saying. What do you tell a child when you want to say, "You are good, and I like that. You are honest and I like that. [Y]ou are courageous. I really like that. I really like the way you behave. I like the way you do yourself. Now. The way you are.' That's the vocabulary we need."

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Book Details

The Breedlove family has moved from the rural south to urban Lorain, Ohio, and the displacement, in addition to grinding work conditions and poverty, contributes to the family's dysfunction. Told from the perspectives of the adolescent sisters, Claudia and Frieda MacTeer, Morrison's narrative weaves its way through the four seasons and traces the daughter's (Pecola Breedlove) descent into madness. Through flashback and temporal shifts, Morrison provides readers with the context and history behind the Breedloves' misery and Pecola's obsessive desire to have "the bluest eyes."

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Questions about the book club? Contact Ab.
Questions about the play? Contact either BreShannon or Ab.