Our “What They’re Reading” choice this week goes hand in hand with his second inauguration this upcoming week. Yep, you guessed it Barack Obama. His favorite book is Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison.
This new version of Morrison’s 1977 novel Song of Solomon is a fitting reminder of her early creative mastery. Song of Solomon is a powerful, sensual, and poetic exploration of four generations of a family mistakenly named Dead. Told through the eyes of “Milkman,” a rare male protagonist in Morrison’s wonderful catalog of unforgettable characters, we discover a century’s worth of secrets, ghosts, and troubles. Milkman is faced with resolving the differing memories of his parents and his mysterious aunt Pilate, while questioning the historically charged realities thrown at him by the death of real-life victims of racism like Emmett Till as viewed by his lifelong friend Guitar. Lynne Thigpen was born to tell the author’s stories, catching every lyrical note and each painful cry. A perfect marriage of author and reader, this will win new audiences and reassure audio veterans that by listening to books one truly can appreciate the magic of storytelling.
Barack Obama is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold office.
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