4 Good Reasons to Finally Read Sula by Toni Morrison

Sula by Toni Morrison is a book about friendship, devotion and betrayal.

I've always believed that some books come to you; you attract them when you become the person who needs to read them. And this is especially the case with novels written by profound authors like Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Zora Neale Hurston, Octavia Butler, bell hooks, or any of our other literary ancestors. It's very easy to miss the instructions inside if you are not in a space to receive them. Books like Sula serve as a compass to discover who you are on the other side of who you pretend to be. They gently remind you that there's a version of you that you've yet to discover, the person connected to your purpose, tribe, and mission. You'll never have to go searching for Sula; it will find you when you need to read it. 

Here are 4 times Sula will come looking for you and 4 good reasons to finally read it: 

1. You're no longer in your twenties. 

If you didn't read Sula in your twenties, the first time it will come looking for you is probably shortly after your 30th birthday. It's a story about two childhood friends who "become something worse than enemies." The concept of friendship changes drastically once you leave your twenties; values shift, people grow apart and some people just never change. If you're trying to maneuver the new idea of what it means to be a friend then it's time to finally read Sula. 

2. You have a complicated relationship with your family. 

Toni Morrison does a good job of showing various dynamics in family, especially the mother-daughter relationship. She doesn't shy away from the rawness of love, dysfunction, devotion, availability and unavailability. If you have complicated relationships with the people closest to you then Sula will come looking for you.

3. Blood couldn't make you and your best friend any closer. 

The story of Nel and Sula is one that reveals the mystery of true friendship. Toni Morrison reminds us that best friends aren't friends at all; because it's a choice to love someone as you love yourself, the dynamic is something closer than family. If you have a best friend who feels closer than any family member you have then it's time to read about Nel and Sula. 

4. Your childhood is playing out in your love life.

Similar to BLKGRL by Candice McCoy, Toni Morrison shows how we often carry trauma and cycles from childhood into adulthood. The way we love, the partners we choose, our willingness to show up, our tendency to disappear, our needs and wants, our level of availability to another person, etc. all stems from what we were taught about love by example. Sula's experiences with love and men was a direct reflection of her mother's own experiences. If your childhood is playing out in your love life, it's time to read both Sula and BLKGRL.