Book of the Week #11: 30th July 2020 - MOUTH FULL OF BLOOD by Toni Morrison

Greetings, readers! My name is Sareeta Domingo, and I’m an author and fiction editor. It’s my great pleasure to be bringing you a Book of the Week, each week here on Morning Mari.

In typical fashion, this week my voice has decided to turn to a husk right when my latest book is coming out and I need it for promo. But my new novel, IF I DON’T HAVE YOU, publishes today, so please do seek it out if you can!

Anyway, I thought I’d keep things short and sweet, and recommend something by my absolute favourite writer of all time, and a true inspiration -- Toni Morrison. This week, my selection is her non-fiction collection of essays, speeches and meditations: Mouth Full of Blood (which was published in the US as The Source of Self Regard).

But specifically, I’d direct readers to one piece within the book – her 1988 commencement address at US university Sarah Lawrence. It is an absolutely STUNNING piece about self-actualisation, morality, and how we navigate our way through the world. It’s full of incredibly motivating thoughts and advice, which I turn to again and again. I even have some of the words it contains tattooed on my arms: Dream a little before you think.

Every time I achieve something I’ve strived for – like, say, the publication of a novel! – I return to these words. Dream big, friends! That is why Mouth Full of Blood by the greatest, Toni Morrison, is my Book of the Week this week.