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A review by louiza_read2live
Beloved by Toni Morrison
5.0
"'Lay em down, Sethe. Sword and shield. Down. Down. Both of em down. Down by the riverside. Sword and Shield. Don't study war no more. Lay all that mess down. Sword and shield.' And [...] she would. Her heavy knives of defense against misery, regret, gall and hurt, she placed one by one on a bank where clear water pushed on below" (From Beloved, pg. 101).
Since the first time that I've read this book years ago, it has been one of my favorite books. It is a book that had touched me deeply with its literary brilliance and poignant themes of the trauma slavery caused and the need for individual healing before any collective healing can begin. As I am reading it again, I have the same feelings about it, if not even stronger than the first time I read it when I was not fluent in English.
This book is absolutely BRILLIANT and arguably the most poignant and heartrending story specifically of the aftermath and trauma of the horrors of slavery— or even of any type of trauma, I would say, as I cannot think of another book that describes trauma so painfully accurately. I would consider it a must-read for anyone working with people who have experienced any kind of trauma. Beloved is a most beautiful, brilliant, and heartrending account of America's most shameful history: a story of trauma and PTSD; a story of losing oneself drenched in unspeakable trauma and finding within the strength to heal. The trauma must be spoken Morrison tells us, or it will branch out and take over one's life. It will resurface as it feeds off of the guilt and the pain of the person who carries it. The pain must be pieced together before healing can even begin. The wounds must bleed, and ooze, and feel the original pain before they begin to close; but when they do close, the scars will be a reminder of strength and survival; a reminder that a future is possible when the past has been put to rest, when the guilt and the pain have found their way to peace, when the "sword" and the "shield" have been replaced by trust and hope. When the war between the past and the present has ceased, life begins.
Since the first time that I've read this book years ago, it has been one of my favorite books. It is a book that had touched me deeply with its literary brilliance and poignant themes of the trauma slavery caused and the need for individual healing before any collective healing can begin. As I am reading it again, I have the same feelings about it, if not even stronger than the first time I read it when I was not fluent in English.
This book is absolutely BRILLIANT and arguably the most poignant and heartrending story specifically of the aftermath and trauma of the horrors of slavery— or even of any type of trauma, I would say, as I cannot think of another book that describes trauma so painfully accurately. I would consider it a must-read for anyone working with people who have experienced any kind of trauma. Beloved is a most beautiful, brilliant, and heartrending account of America's most shameful history: a story of trauma and PTSD; a story of losing oneself drenched in unspeakable trauma and finding within the strength to heal. The trauma must be spoken Morrison tells us, or it will branch out and take over one's life. It will resurface as it feeds off of the guilt and the pain of the person who carries it. The pain must be pieced together before healing can even begin. The wounds must bleed, and ooze, and feel the original pain before they begin to close; but when they do close, the scars will be a reminder of strength and survival; a reminder that a future is possible when the past has been put to rest, when the guilt and the pain have found their way to peace, when the "sword" and the "shield" have been replaced by trust and hope. When the war between the past and the present has ceased, life begins.