PositiveThe NationA full and voluminous appreciation of the intellectual labor of Morrison’s editing ... Williams unveils a unique point of conflict that Morrison had with her writers ... Williams presents an evenhanded portrayal of what Morrison was capable of and what constrained her within the context of corporate publishing ... Toni at Random’s thoroughness sometimes interferes with its readability, making it easy to get bogged down in dates and an obscure cast of editors, agents, and little-known writers that many readers will undoubtedly have trouble remembering. However, in writing the first major study of Morrison’s editorship at Random House, it was important for Williams to thoroughly document the minutiae for future scholarly use, and the details paint a compelling picture of an ecology of Black writers who should be read collectively rather than individually ... Morrison’s gift to Black letters lives on in this book.
