Reviews
The combination in this volume of personal, historical, political, diasporic, and artistic responses to the origin and impact of the opera Margaret Garner is both original and captivating. It is an engaging read, a brilliant design--full of many informative and surprising connections. This is 'thick description' at its best, and our full appreciation of Toni Morrison's libretto is all the better because of it. A must-read!, This study's scope is impressive and engaging and opens a window not only on the genesis and development of the opera from a variety of standpoints but also on the politics of producing such a potentially 'controversial' piece on black history and black life in the United States. It is at once eclectic and single-minded, and offers insight not only into the underpinnings of Margaret Garner but also into the sociocultural impact of high art., An insightful, amazing, and rich collection thorough in research and detail, which honors three brave and beautiful women--Margaret Garner, Toni Morrison, and Denyce Graves. Denyce Graves opens the book with courage, honesty, and truth. Thank you, La Vinia Delois Jennings., This is a truly original work and expands the conversation concerning Morrison's political, aesthetic, moral, and ethical imperatives. The quality of the book's editing is superb. Each essay is outstanding and provides the reader with multiple perspectives and critical lenses with which to read and view the text: historiography, narratology, music theory, trauma theory, the neo-slave narrative, and Black Atlantic Studies among other hermeneutical paradigms., The present volume offers critical assessments of Morrison's libretto as well as essays by individuals who played central roles in recovering Garner's story and bringing the opera to stage., La Vinia Delois Jennings has compiled a trove of compelling essays that provide thoughtful and sometimes provocative insights into Toni Morrison's first opera libretto, Margaret Garner. This collection offers a clear-eyed view of both historical and topical issues, and is fascinating reading. In addition, it would be an invaluable tool, whether in academic settings, or to enrich and inform future performances of this powerful opera., La Vinia Delois Jennings has compiled a trove of compelling essays that provides thoughtful and sometimes provocative insights into Toni Morrison's first opera libretto, Margaret Garner. This collection offers a clear-eyed view of both historical and topical issues, and is fascinating reading. In addition, it would be an invaluable tool, whether in academic settings, or to enrich and inform future performances of this powerful opera.