This was a beautifully written novel. It takes us deep into the life of Pecola Breedlove and all of the accomplices that helped destroy her young life. It makes us look at each of them carefully as they are representations of the people we so often write off as unworthy of our attention because we feel they they are so far gone or too different from ourselves to identify with. I'm not sure what Toni Morrison wished to accomplish, but her prose was so elegant, deep, and rich, it brought to life these tragic characters and while some were at first detestable for their actions and behaviors it was fascinating that while their behaviors were not excused, Morrison managed to demonstrate that even the worst of us has a story, a reason, feelings, that while not accepted by society or otherwise recognized, do exist. 
 The object of this little girl's affection was attaining what she believed would make her more human in a world that seemed to only care about her appearance, blue eyes. The fact that she wanted blue eyes so that the world would notice her, would think her beautiful, would think her worthy of its attention speaks in so many ways to the theme of this book. Set in a time when African Americans were struggling for relevance in a world that told them they were inferior by simply being themselves, it speaks volumes to what it was like and resonates so much today as movements such as #blacklivesmatter and #oscarsowhite face so much resistance. I absolutely recommend this book.