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A young Black girl in 1940s Ohio longs for blue eyes, believing they will make her loved
1970Slow paceDark
What it is about
Pecola Breedlove is an eleven-year-old Black girl in Lorain, Ohio, in 1941. Surrounded by a society that values whiteness, she prays for blue eyes in the hope that they will bring her love. Her story is told partly by her friend Claudia.
Who will enjoy it
Readers who want a major work of American literature.
What you will get
A short but heavy novel. It deals with abuse and racism, and it is widely taught and sometimes challenged.
The Bluest Eye Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Literary Fiction · Race · Beauty · Childhood
Length
206 pages · ≈ 6 h
More about this book
Characters
Pecola Breedlove, Claudia and Frieda MacTeer.
Setting
Lorain, Ohio, in the early 1940s.
What makes it different
A debut novel written in a lyrical, poetic prose.
Feel
Harrowing, poetic and powerful.
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