This contemporary novel follows the lineage of two African sisters: one who is sold into slavery, the other who marries a European slave trader. Their lives diverge drastically, yet the stories of their offspring are punctuated by a delicate line of familial connection. This is not an easy read, but it is an important one.

Pecola Breedlove is a little girl who wants nothing more than to be pretty, and in her small, sheltered perspective, that means having blonde hair and blue eyes. In Toni Morrison's first novel, she challenges our sense of beauty and breaks down the role that society plays in our perception. 

**This is one of the books that has been in the news in the past year for being banned in several Missouri schools. CVPA proudly reads and responsibly analyzes this life-changing novel ;)

This novel explores the thematic ideas of power, control, and sanity. When a rabble-rousing new patient enters the orderly ward of the 1950s mental hospital, he pushes the other men to revolt against the status quo. The ensuing action begs the question: how do we judge who is crazy?