Recitatif: A Story
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- Create Date：2022-03-06 09:51:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Toni Morrison
- ISBN：0593315030
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Summary
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - A beautiful， arresting story about race and the relationships that shape us through life by the legendary Nobel Prize winner--for the first time in a beautifully produced stand-alone edition， with an introduction by Zadie Smith
"A puzzle of a story， then--a game。。。。 When [Morrison] called Recitatif an 'experiment' she meant it。 The subject of the experiment is the reader。" --Zadie Smith， award-winning， best-selling author of White Teeth
In this 1983 short story--the only short story Morrison ever wrote--we meet Twyla and Roberta， who have known each other since they were eight years old and spent four months together as roommates in St。 Bonaventure shelter。 Inseparable then， they lose touch as they grow older， only later to find each other again at a diner， a grocery store， and again at a protest。 Seemingly at opposite ends of every problem， and at each other's throats each time they meet， the two women still cannot deny the deep bond their shared experience has forged between them。
Another work of genius by this masterly writer， Recitatif keeps Twyla's and Roberta's races ambiguous throughout the story。 Morrison herself described Recitatif， a story which will keep readers thinking and discussing for years to come， as an experiment in the removal of all racial codes from a narrative about two characters of different races for whom racial identity is crucial。 We know that one is white and one is Black， but which is which？ And who is right about the race of the woman the girls tormented at the orphanage？
A remarkable look into what keeps us together and what keeps us apart， and how perceptions are made tangible by reality， Recitatif is a gift to readers in these changing times。
"A puzzle of a story， then--a game。。。。 When [Morrison] called Recitatif an 'experiment' she meant it。 The subject of the experiment is the reader。" --Zadie Smith， award-winning， best-selling author of White Teeth
In this 1983 short story--the only short story Morrison ever wrote--we meet Twyla and Roberta， who have known each other since they were eight years old and spent four months together as roommates in St。 Bonaventure shelter。 Inseparable then， they lose touch as they grow older， only later to find each other again at a diner， a grocery store， and again at a protest。 Seemingly at opposite ends of every problem， and at each other's throats each time they meet， the two women still cannot deny the deep bond their shared experience has forged between them。
Another work of genius by this masterly writer， Recitatif keeps Twyla's and Roberta's races ambiguous throughout the story。 Morrison herself described Recitatif， a story which will keep readers thinking and discussing for years to come， as an experiment in the removal of all racial codes from a narrative about two characters of different races for whom racial identity is crucial。 We know that one is white and one is Black， but which is which？ And who is right about the race of the woman the girls tormented at the orphanage？
A remarkable look into what keeps us together and what keeps us apart， and how perceptions are made tangible by reality， Recitatif is a gift to readers in these changing times。
Reviews
Lori Eby
，
Brilliant。 Just brilliant。
Mainlinebooker
，
Tiny short story with long excellent introduction by Zadie Smith。 An academic mind enterprise trying to sort out which of the 2 characters both in mannerisms and dialogue is white and which one is black。 As Morrison states， it is an "experiment in the removal of all racial codes from a narrative about two characters of different races for whom racial identities is crucial。" What you get is an examination of your own prejudices。 Tiny short story with long excellent introduction by Zadie Smith。 An academic mind enterprise trying to sort out which of the 2 characters both in mannerisms and dialogue is white and which one is black。 As Morrison states， it is an "experiment in the removal of all racial codes from a narrative about two characters of different races for whom racial identities is crucial。" What you get is an examination of your own prejudices。 。。。more
Patricia Lane
，
This tiny book is mind-blowing！ Toni Morrison's short story is gripping， elusive， and， of course， beautifully written。 Zadie Smith's Introduction is a combination of literary commentary and personal reaction which adds depth and understanding。 I recommend reading Smith's piece after reading the story to get your own unfiltered reaction first， and then reading the commentary。I read this for my DEAI book group; I highly recommend it to everyone！ This tiny book is mind-blowing！ Toni Morrison's short story is gripping， elusive， and， of course， beautifully written。 Zadie Smith's Introduction is a combination of literary commentary and personal reaction which adds depth and understanding。 I recommend reading Smith's piece after reading the story to get your own unfiltered reaction first， and then reading the commentary。I read this for my DEAI book group; I highly recommend it to everyone！ 。。。more
Kim Zoot Holmes
，
NOTE: I had never read this short story before and after 2 pages of the intro I decided to read the story before finishing the introduction。 This was a good technique because it allowed me to read the story with my uninformed brain first， then devour Smith's excellent introduction piece。 This is just a master class in all sorts of writing challenges and it takes someone of Morrison's caliber to build so much in so few pages。。。and all while leaving out specific details the reader will feel disori NOTE: I had never read this short story before and after 2 pages of the intro I decided to read the story before finishing the introduction。 This was a good technique because it allowed me to read the story with my uninformed brain first， then devour Smith's excellent introduction piece。 This is just a master class in all sorts of writing challenges and it takes someone of Morrison's caliber to build so much in so few pages。。。and all while leaving out specific details the reader will feel disoriented without。 Smith's introduction/analysis is also a must-read。 I actually ended up buying a copy （I read a library copy first） so I can re-read it with my highlighter and pen for notes。 Even if you've read the short story before， I still say it's worth a re-read just so you can digest Smith's introduction as well。 。。。more
Linda
，
I loved that this story gave one pause。 I took the advice of other readers and read the short story first then followed it with the introduction。 Though there are compelling reasons to decide between Twyla and Roberta as being black or white， I am sure many of us chose differently。 The description of their mothers to each other can be one of the ways based on your upbringing which will have you choosing one way only to switch your decision later in the story。 Well written and high marks for a mi I loved that this story gave one pause。 I took the advice of other readers and read the short story first then followed it with the introduction。 Though there are compelling reasons to decide between Twyla and Roberta as being black or white， I am sure many of us chose differently。 The description of their mothers to each other can be one of the ways based on your upbringing which will have you choosing one way only to switch your decision later in the story。 Well written and high marks for a mixed racial book club to discuss。 。。。more
Chiara
，
This is short so I won't say much， but it was very interesting and obviously well-written。 I also appreciated Zadie Smith's introduction， but I'd recommend reading it after reading the story since it goes over details in the story itself。 This is short so I won't say much， but it was very interesting and obviously well-written。 I also appreciated Zadie Smith's introduction， but I'd recommend reading it after reading the story since it goes over details in the story itself。 。。。more
Sarah
，
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Megan Peters
，
I hadn’t read this since maybe undergrad， and it’s still as startlingly effective and masterfully written as I has remembered。 So glad for this stand-alone copy。 The intro by Zadie Smith is likewise excellent， but definitely read it after the story for the most impact。
RD Chiriboga Moncayo
，
Ingenious and thought-provoking。
LeeAnn Valano
，
It’s a good story but I feel it was too short。 I understand the experiment， just wish we had more of their stories。
Shayla Scott
，
4。25 rating！ This was a short story that made me think a lot。 You could never tell who was what race by the descriptions of the two main characters because it was interchangeable。 A very interesting read for sure！
Kathy Duffy
，
This is a short story that is a puzzle and a fascinating piece by Toni Morrison。 The introduction and almost class lecture by Zadie Smith at the front of the book is longer than the short story itself but covered some fascinating thing I might have missed so glad I read it。 On the whole thought provoking
Tina
，
Might change my rating。
Samantha Fondriest
，
Somewhere between a 4 and a 5 - absolutely thought provoking and the idea is brilliantly executed。 Definitely a story I need to revisit to really wrap my head around it。
Rebekah Stewart
，
I don't have a lot to say about this short story。 Please listen to the audio and take in Zadie Smith's incredible introduction！ I don't have a lot to say about this short story。 Please listen to the audio and take in Zadie Smith's incredible introduction！ 。。。more
Whitney Sederberg
，
Thank you for the recommendation Camille！！I definitely vibed really hard with this one。 I am not sure if it is because I am multiracial or just not totally white and not black but I didn’t really find myself wondering what races they were throughout the book。 In the introduction （why is it before the story？？） I thought it was funny that Zadie described the constant racial profiling that Toni makes you go through as exhausting。 When she talked about how race isn’t all that different and “what doe Thank you for the recommendation Camille！！I definitely vibed really hard with this one。 I am not sure if it is because I am multiracial or just not totally white and not black but I didn’t really find myself wondering what races they were throughout the book。 In the introduction （why is it before the story？？） I thought it was funny that Zadie described the constant racial profiling that Toni makes you go through as exhausting。 When she talked about how race isn’t all that different and “what does blackness mean if race is insignificant？” I thought that was very interesting。 My （Korean） mom consistently justifies racism （against herself too） as just a fact of life， and I was thinking a lot about that here since it’s unusual for people of color to think that way。 But the way roles were constantly being reversed （without the message of color blindness！） was really cool！ 。。。more
Sheila
，
I read the story last night and most of the introduction by Zadie Smith （nearly as long as the story in the version of the story that I have） tonight。 I’m very glad I did it in that order。 I actually wish I had come across the story cold， without knowing what I knew that I wasn’t supposed to know。 （This might sound cryptic to someone who hasn’t read the book， but I’m trying to keep from giving away the premise to other would-be readers。） What I think would be really cool is to make two movies of I read the story last night and most of the introduction by Zadie Smith （nearly as long as the story in the version of the story that I have） tonight。 I’m very glad I did it in that order。 I actually wish I had come across the story cold， without knowing what I knew that I wasn’t supposed to know。 （This might sound cryptic to someone who hasn’t read the book， but I’m trying to keep from giving away the premise to other would-be readers。） What I think would be really cool is to make two movies of alternate versions of the story…。especially is they were so closely in sync that they could play at the same time on a split screen…or just design the movie to play that way。 Any directors out there want to take it on？ The intro was fairly interesting to read afterward， although I did end up skimming some parts。 Overall， it’s a fantastic， thought-provoking short story。 。。。more
Zoila
，
Incredible。 I suggest reading the short story before jumping back to Zadie Smith's introduction。 Incredible。 I suggest reading the short story before jumping back to Zadie Smith's introduction。 。。。more
Noura Khalid （theperksofbeingnoura）
，
Thank you Librofm and Penguin Random House for the gifted ALC。This was such an interesting read。 I loved how it’s described as an experiment。 It was definitely thought provoking and the introduction by Zadie Smith was a good way to start the book。
Abby Kincer
，
I loved this story and I also loved the Introduction by Zadie Smith， but I really wish I had listened to the introduction after the story — coming to （or not） the conclusions and fantastic points Smith made in the Intro before she discussed them would have been very interesting。 I highly recommend you save the Introduction for after if you’re unfamiliar with the story， as I was。
Martha Lain
，
My edition has a lengthy and thoughtful introduction by Zadie Smith that， for me， added immeasurably to the storyToni Morrison described this short story as "an experiment in the removal of all racial codes and identifiers from a narrative about two characters of different races"。 My edition has a lengthy and thoughtful introduction by Zadie Smith that， for me， added immeasurably to the storyToni Morrison described this short story as "an experiment in the removal of all racial codes and identifiers from a narrative about two characters of different races"。 。。。more
Deborah
，
An outstanding litmus test of the reader's views on race。 Zadie Smith’s introduction is a book worth reading in and of itself。 An outstanding litmus test of the reader's views on race。 Zadie Smith’s introduction is a book worth reading in and of itself。 。。。more
Miss Bookiverse
，
At first glance Toni Morrison's only short story appears to be a bit frivolous， but it is an interesting thought experiment for and with the reader。 I recommend going in blind and reading the expansive and informative foreword by Zadie Smith after。 At first glance Toni Morrison's only short story appears to be a bit frivolous， but it is an interesting thought experiment for and with the reader。 I recommend going in blind and reading the expansive and informative foreword by Zadie Smith after。 。。。more
Mr。 P
，
Interesting thought experiment and deep thinking behind story which seems quite simple on the outside。Worth reading。
Emily
，
An intriguing concept， well executed。 Recitatif， Toni Morrison's only short story， is an experiment for the reader。 What pre-conceived notions do you hold about race and class？ The story features two characters， Twyla （the narrator） and Roberta; one is Black and one is White， but the narrative never specifies which is which。 As an experiment， Recitatif is thought-provoking， but as a story， it was just fine for me。Zadie Smith's introduction is interesting and enriches the reading experience， thou An intriguing concept， well executed。 Recitatif， Toni Morrison's only short story， is an experiment for the reader。 What pre-conceived notions do you hold about race and class？ The story features two characters， Twyla （the narrator） and Roberta; one is Black and one is White， but the narrative never specifies which is which。 As an experiment， Recitatif is thought-provoking， but as a story， it was just fine for me。Zadie Smith's introduction is interesting and enriches the reading experience， though it is probably better read as an afterword。 The audiobook is well done， read by Zadie Smith and the always-excellent Bahni Turpin。 I do think I'd glean more from the text if I read it physically instead of via audio。TW: ableism， racism， child welfare institution， sick parentThank you so much to the publisher and Libro。fm for providing me with this ALC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Paula
，
Listened to this as an audiobook and could not recommend more。 It really made me reflect on the biases and prejudices that I hold and what in the world around me illicit assumptions。
Ady
，
I read this story before， but the forward by Zadie Smith added a lot to the story and my enjoyment of it。
Linda
，
An extraordinary short story about the relationship between a black girl and a white girl with all determinants removed such that it is impossible to assign a race to either girl。
Vinícius
，
I'm conflicted。 I see what Morrison was going for， and she managed that， but when the reader inevitably approaches this story with more of an investigative eye （which is all the fun）， there are some bits that don't quite add up。 Zadie Smith provides a brilliant introduction but even then she still leaves some parts unanalyzed。Could I be overanalyzing？ Most definitely。 As a reader that's not exclusively white or black， I feel like Morrison didn't really plan for this third perspective （and I'm no I'm conflicted。 I see what Morrison was going for， and she managed that， but when the reader inevitably approaches this story with more of an investigative eye （which is all the fun）， there are some bits that don't quite add up。 Zadie Smith provides a brilliant introduction but even then she still leaves some parts unanalyzed。Could I be overanalyzing？ Most definitely。 As a reader that's not exclusively white or black， I feel like Morrison didn't really plan for this third perspective （and I'm not saying that she should have）， one that doesn't rely on the relatability aspect to drive the intrigue forward and because of that might end up putting too much emphasis on the investigative side of it。 。。。more
lou
，
i will always love smart women。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Recitatif: A Story
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Recitatif: A Story&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Recitatif: A Story&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0