God Help the Child – The Lyfe Book Review

We all want to be accepted for who we are; for how we feel; for our dreams and aspirations. We want to be accepted for how we look; black, brown, blue, purple, red, white or even yellow.  In the novel, “God Help the Child”, Toni Morrison pens a modern day Cinderella story about a young girl named Lula Ann. From the moment you begin to read, you hear the voice of Sweetness, telling the story of her daughter, Lula Ann. When Lula Ann was born, and placed in her mother’s arms, something was wrong, terribly wrong. Sweetness and her husband Louis, were light skinned with good hair, and Lula Ann, well, she was not. Her skin was the color of a clear night sky, midnight black. This didn’t sit well with her parents. Her father wouldn’t touch her and claimed that she wasn’t his. Her mother couldn’t stand to touch her because of the color of her skin. Can you imagine not being touched by your parents and somehow being blamed for the color of your skin?

Lula Ann, all grown up, reinvents herself and changes her name to Bride, a successful California executive, with dark skin, wearing only white clothes to stand out. Bride is in the midst of launching her signature cosmetic line when she hears that the kindergarten teacher that she accused of sexual abuse 15 years ago is going to be released from prison. This is what she has waited for. Bride comes face-to-face with her past and somehow her future seems to collide with her present. Her life begins to tumble out of control and Bride wants to revert back to Lula Ann.   

In this emotional yet gripping story of rejection, prejudice, and a young girl coming of age, Morrison takes her readers on an unforgettable ride that will make you reexamine the way you look at color.