On Morrison by Namwali Serpell offers an illuminating journey through Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison’s expansive oeuvre. With contextual guidance, archival discoveries, and original close readings, Serpell’s exploration of Morrison results in dialogue between two Black women authors that is stylish, edifying, and thrilling in its scope and intelligence.

At once accessible and uncompromisingly rigorous, On Morrison is not only a primer on how to read one of America’s most eternally significant authors, but also a general guide to reading great works of literature. In Serpell’s words, Morrison “is our only truly canonical black female writer - and her work is highly complex.”

Serpell is a professor of English at Harvard. Her novels include The Old Drift, one of The New York Times Book Review’s 100 Notable Books of 2019, and The Furrows, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. Her book of essays, Stranger Faces, was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism.