Review: The Pieces I Am
I had meant to see this film when it originally came out in July, but time got the best of me. However, with Toni Morrison’s death, I had a renewed interest in learning more about her life. Luckily, a local movie theatre brought back The Pieces I Am for a limited time right after her death.
I learned a lot about her in this movie, especially her life as a single mother and editor who found fame later in life. I don’t think many people realize how resilient and radical it was for a divorced, single black mother of two boys in the 60s to start a new career as a book editor in the New York publishing world. She did this all while maintaining her dignity, whether it be demanding a head-of-household salary from her boss or making sure black writers were giving a voice at Random House.
It was no surprise that other black writers campaigned for her win recognition for her books, which would culminate with Morrison winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 – the first and so far only black woman to win that top prize.
All of her books are great, but my favorite is Tar Baby, which is a love story with a Caribbean twist.
It was an honor to know Toni Morrison through her books!
