The Dancing Mind: Speech upon Acceptance of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished C ontribution to American Letters [Hardcover]

Toni Morrison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 24, 1996

On the occasion of her acceptance of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters on the sixth of November, 1996, Nobel laureate Toni Morrison speaks with brevity and passion to the pleasures, the difficulties, the necessities, of the reading/writing life in our time.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

On the occasion of her acceptance of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters on the sixth of November, 1996, Nobel laureate Toni Morrison speaks with brevity and passion to the pleasures, the difficulties, the necessities, of the reading/writing life in our time.

From AudioFile

Toni Morrison calls the engagement of an open mind with another open mind "the peace of the dancing mind." Honored by the National Book Foundation last fall, Morrison gave this ten-minute acceptance speech. Beautifully crafted and delivered with Morrison's quiet grace, the recording is an inspiring gem. Morrison creates the feeling of intimacy while delivering a universal message to writers and lovers of literature and reading. Kudos to Random House AudioBooks for taking the opportunity to publish this program. Preserving and offering these wonderful comments to a broad audience is a bright light of innovation for spoken-word recordings. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1 edition (December 24, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037540032X
• ISBN-13: 978-0375400322
• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 0.4 x 7.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,523,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Toni Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. She is the author of several novels, including The Bluest Eye, Beloved (made into a major film), and Love. She has received the National Book Critics Circle Award and a Pulitzer Prize. She is the Robert F. Goheen Professor at Princeton University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You can almost hear Morrison's voice reading the speech, January 22, 2004

By 

Joe Sherry (Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dancing Mind: Speech upon Acceptance of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished C ontribution to American Letters (Hardcover)

"The Dancing Mind" is not your typical book. It is not a fiction book, nor is it really a non-fiction book. "The Dancing Mind" is a speech Toni Morrison gave when she accepted The National Book Foundation Medal. This is a very slim volume, coming in at only 17 pages, but it is an opportunity to read something that I never would have encountered anywhere else.

Toni Morrison gave two unrelated anecdotes, but tied them together at the end of the speech. The first was a story of a young man from an affluent family. He grew up being forced to read certain book and participate in certain activities, and when he was finally out of school, he had no inclination to ever read another book. The only experience of reading he had was for an assignment and for a grade, and never for pleasure. The second story was of a woman writer and approached her, telling Morrison of the difficulty of writing honest literature while living in a country that would suppress literature.

The only connection between the two is that the both deal with books, one from the reader's perspective, the other from the author's. Morrison combines these two into a brief discussion on the necessity of reading and writing, and the enjoyment that can be found from each, and how these are necessary despite (or perhaps, because) of how much of an industry books has become.

This is such a short speech that it won't take up much time to read it, and I think I heard the cadences of Morrison's speaking voice while reading the text. I would imagine that hearing Morrison give the speech would be a superior experience over reading it, but I'm glad that I read it. This is an acceptance speech, but it gives an insight into the mind of Toni Morrison.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A MANDATE FOR A NEW PEACE, February 28, 2002

By 

Bonita L. Davis - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dancing Mind: Speech upon Acceptance of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished C ontribution to American Letters (Hardcover)

Acceptance speeches can be dull affairs. Those in attendance are expected to politely tolerate the honorer's remarks as they drone on and on about nothing. Such is not the case with Toni Morrison's acceptance speech for the National Book Foundation Medal. Ms Morrison's words are powerful, poignant and challenging. What she has to say is worth our attention and action.

Entitled, "The Dancing Mind", Toni Morrison's brief speech points out two dangerous environments that readers and writers
face in today's world. The first is the attitude that reading is a means to an end (merely for obtaining a trophy) and the second, that writing is a subversive activity that needs to be suppressed. She shares with us two anecdotes which illustrate these negative environments and issues a challenge to the Book World.

Morrison challenges the book industry to become a conduit of dispensing knowledge to both the entitled and dispossessed. In doing so minds will be able to engage one another. She also puts out the call for the industry to foster a supportive environment for the writer free of private, governmental or cultural controls. Developing such a peace is one in which all of those in the book business should aspire.

Her words forces us to move beyond reading for the purpose of taking a test or because it is a class assignment. We're sensitized to the fact that many writers are under oppressive regimes. A written word from them would mean a death sentence. Our reading and writing is a serious business and we who engage in the free sharing of thought need to take it seriously.

Although this slim volume is only seventeen pages it is well worth having in your collection of Morrison's works. It is also a great gift book for those who want to engage their dancing minds.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well said, October 14, 2000

By 

Maurice Williams "mauricewms" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dancing Mind (Audio Cassette)

The auto cassette of this wonderfully poetic acceptance speech was given to me as a gift and ranks among my all time favorites. In her acceptance of the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, Morrison elaborates on the reader-writer relationship, symbolized in terms of a dance of open minds. She expounds on the importance of an education that allows for and encourages students to (through literature) dance in the company of their own mind. The Nobel Laureate then shares a personal encounter with a fellow female writer from Strasbourg whose country rewards creative and nonrestrictive writing with persecution and imprisonment; the effect of which on the writing soul is indistinguishable from literally being shot down on the street. Morrison wraps up her speech with a personal account of what it means for her to write, to engage in a dance with her mind and the mind of her reader. This speech, like everything she writes, is both captivating and enlightening. The knowledge given is as powerful and elegant as the delivery. Whether you listen to it or read it, this speech is worth knowing. Enjoy.