For our next read, we turn to Toni Morrison's debut novel, The Bluest Eye, first published in 1970. A devastating, poetic, and deeply important story about childhood, beauty, racism, shame, and longing.

We continue Oma's Reads with Patti Smith, the "Godmother of Punk," celebrated for fusing poetry with rock & roll. Her memoir, Just Kids, won the National Book Award for Nonfiction shortly after its release in 2010. It is a deeply raw & moving story documenting her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. A perfect follow-up: a fierce,...