The Origin of Others - Toni Morrison

Ratings: 5 Stars

Summary:

Ms. Morrison hits us hard with this book of racism and how we as a whole have made people feel less than, dehumanized and looking from the outside in. She talks about how African Americans were taught that they are not human, they were not created to be equals and they were born to serve. A Caucasian who sold, purchased, kidnapped and abused African Americans did so to show they were not weak. Ms. Morrison breaks down a couple of books that she has written and books that other authors have written to show how color was a big part of how we viewed writings. She uses words that I cringe at, that I refuse to acknowledge as part of anyone’s vocabulary and one that if used around me I speak my mind on how that person is just an uneducated person. No I am not saying Ms. Morrison is an uneducated person I am just saying that the word n****r is not a word that should have been used in the past and should not be used especially in today’s society.

What I thought:

This book is a very emotional journey not only for the writer but also the reader. I for one didn’t know that Caucasian’s thought by purchasing, selling or beating another human being they were not weak. Before reading this book I had questions about slavery and this book answered some of those questions. I did skip over a few sentences in the book because a word I refuse to acknowledge was used. What I took from this book is that our ancestors were ignorant people who thought it was their right to own, sell, and beat another human being.

Ending:

To think that African Americans were taught to think of themselves as others is just sickening. We were all created by a higher being whether you like it or not. We are all human beings, we are all brothers and sisters, we are deserve to be treated equal, we all deserve to be given respect, we deserve to have unconditional love, and we all bleed the same color blood. I don’t look at a person’s skin color to give them the respect they deserve, to get to know that person and to show them unconditional love and support. So please go get this book and read it. See how it changes how you look at one another, how you understand them and how you treat them because of the color of their skin.