JUNE 2022 - AudioFile
AudioFile Golden Voice Bahni Turpin turns A.J. Verdelle’s reflections on her relationship with Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison into a song of praise and wonder. Morrison, born Chloe Wofford, first entered the author’s life after the publication of Verdelle’s novel, THE GOOD NEGRESS. They built a friendship based on their shared love of language and literature and their common experiences as Black women. Turpin’s perfect diction and melodic intonation take listeners through Verdelle’s worshipful delight at Miss Chloe’s attentions and even their sometimes prickly moments. With controlled understatement, Turpin shares Verdelle’s intense loss upon Morrison’s death in 2019. Turpin’s narration is intimate, insightful, and suffused with admiration for both these talented women. Her performance makes their unique story a journey worth taking. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
"Passionate, personal, insightful, testy, and unique." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Verdelle has created a remarkable literary portrait and memoir.” — Booklist
“In Miss Chloe, Verdelle offers us testimony in praise and consideration of life as a literary citizen and Black woman alongside the guiding light of Toni Morrison. This is a holy testimony, indeed, one that deserves to be amen'd forever." — Jason Reynolds, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
“Miss Chloe is a rich and wise meditation on the literary paragon that is Toni Morrison. In prose that is at once lyrical and precise, A.J. Verdelle has delivered an enthralling book on the bounty of long friendship, the dynamism of black culture, the genesis of black genius, the myriad wonders of black women, and the power of literature to shape exceptional lives. Miss Chloe meets the measure of its incomparable central figure, a feat if ever there was one.” — Mitchell S. Jackson, Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
“Miss Chloe is a joyous, eloquent memoir of a lively, emotionally rich, and intensely bookish friendship. In honoring Toni Morrison, A.J. Verdelle has given us a personal celebration of family, women, education, libraries, and, always, the power of words. Verdelle generously includes us in her lavish love of all things literary. This is a glorious book.” — Cathleen Schine, author of The Grammarians
“Miss Chloe is an achievement. In a work as intimate as it is ambitious, A.J. Verdelle frankly and lovingly illuminates Toni Morrison’s vast influence as a writer and editor on Black life, culture, and Verdelle herself, all the while weaving together reflections on the complexities of human friendship, the necessity of literature and reading, the demands of the writing life, the meaning of family and community, and the obligation to persevere. A beautiful, essential book.” — Jane Brox, author of Silence and Brilliant
“A.J. Verdelle, one of our very best writers, has given us a memoir that includes a glimpse of her own literary genius, the women who raised her, the ultimate power of a literary life and her special relationship with our grand queen of Black literature, Toni Morrison. Written with grace and heart, you won’t be able to put this book down and then you’ll place it on the shelf with your sacred favorites.” — Crystal Wilkinson, author of Perfect Black and The Birds of Opulence
“A.J. Verdelle was gifted a rare opportunity to witness literary genius. Reading Miss Chloe is tantamount to taking a masterclass from two incredible writers.” — Byllye Y Avery, Founder, Black Women’s Health Imperative
“It's hard to put into words how much I love Miss Chloe. Part memoir, part homage, part literary reflection, this rare glimpse into a remarkable sisterhood between A.J. Verdelle and Toni Morrison will take its place among the classics. I will treasure this book forever." — Dolen Perkins-Valdez, NYT bestselling author of Wench and Take My Hand
“The admiration and love Verdelle shows for her friend, who left us in 2019, is unquestionable, and Miss Chloe is an intimate and powerful tribute that Toni Morrison deserves.” — Los Angeles Review of Books
Crystal Wilkinson
A.J. Verdelle, one of our very best writers, has given us a memoir that includes a glimpse of her own literary genius, the women who raised her, the ultimate power of a literary life and her special relationship with our grand queen of Black literature, Toni Morrison. Written with grace and heart, you won’t be able to put this book down and then you’ll place it on the shelf with your sacred favorites.”
Byllye Y Avery
A.J. Verdelle was gifted a rare opportunity to witness literary genius. Reading Miss Chloe is tantamount to taking a masterclass from two incredible writers.
Dolen Perkins-Valdez
It's hard to put into words how much I love Miss Chloe. Part memoir, part homage, part literary reflection, this rare glimpse into a remarkable sisterhood between A.J. Verdelle and Toni Morrison will take its place among the classics. I will treasure this book forever."
Jason Reynolds
In Miss Chloe, Verdelle offers us testimony in praise and consideration of life as a literary citizen and Black woman alongside the guiding light of Toni Morrison. This is a holy testimony, indeed, one that deserves to be amen'd forever."
Mitchell S. Jackson
Miss Chloe is a rich and wise meditation on the literary paragon that is Toni Morrison. In prose that is at once lyrical and precise, A.J. Verdelle has delivered an enthralling book on the bounty of long friendship, the dynamism of black culture, the genesis of black genius, the myriad wonders of black women, and the power of literature to shape exceptional lives. Miss Chloe meets the measure of its incomparable central figure, a feat if ever there was one.
Jane Brox
Miss Chloe is an achievement. In a work as intimate as it is ambitious, A.J. Verdelle frankly and lovingly illuminates Toni Morrison’s vast influence as a writer and editor on Black life, culture, and Verdelle herself, all the while weaving together reflections on the complexities of human friendship, the necessity of literature and reading, the demands of the writing life, the meaning of family and community, and the obligation to persevere. A beautiful, essential book.”
Booklist
Verdelle has created a remarkable literary portrait and memoir.
Cathleen Schine
Miss Chloe is a joyous, eloquent memoir of a lively, emotionally rich, and intensely bookish friendship. In honoring Toni Morrison, A.J. Verdelle has given us a personal celebration of family, women, education, libraries, and, always, the power of words. Verdelle generously includes us in her lavish love of all things literary. This is a glorious book.
Library Journal - Audio
09/01/2022
Bahni Turpin brings her considerable narratorial talents to bear as she gives voice to Verdelle's reflections on her decades-long relationship with author Toni Morrison (born Chloe Wofford). Verdelle came into Morrison's orbit when Morrison sent a note praising Verdelle's first and only published novel, The Good Negress. This interaction ignited an extraordinary relationship—part mentorship, part friendship, part hero worship—between the two women. Turpin brings out Verdelle's wonder, delight, and occasional pique as she recounts various encounters with Morrison, from Morrison's unexpected visits during Verdelle's tenure at Princeton to a particularly memorable incident involving Verdelle's treasured scarf. Turpin's voice becomes somber as Verdelle describes her solitary grief, witnessing Morrison's quiet withdrawal from society and knowing that her death would soon follow. Listeners will sense the deep respect that both Turpin and Verdelle have for this literary giant and will be grateful for these glimpses into her demanding, sharp-tongued, and insightful personality. VERDICT This exquisitely narrated audiobook is a balm and a delight. Share with listeners seeking to better understand Morrison and her works as well as the difficulties encountered by Black women seeking to establish themselves as authors and artists.—Sarah Hashimoto
Library Journal
★ 05/01/2022
Upon the publication of her first novel, The Good Negress, Verdelle earned the coveted praise of one of her literary role models, award-winning author Toni Morrison. Their eventual friendship is used as a lens to present Verdelle's life and reflections in this vivid memoir. Verdelle tells of her journey beginning with her book-loving childhood, when she first read Morrison's works, to becoming a published author and professor of creative writing. With similar career paths and shared lived experiences, Verdelle's multifaceted friendship with Morrison was deeply influential on her life. Morrison became a source of wisdom, guidance, and sometimes frustration, with their friendship ebbing and flowing for decades until Morrison's passing in 2019. Verdelle also reflects on the power and interconnection of language and race, offering readers a celebration of not only Morrison's works but the power of literature for voices long oppressed. VERDICT Verdelle's stunningly precise and poetic language is a joy to savor. Morrison fans will delight in revisiting her works through Verdelle's eyes and meeting the enigmatic writer in an intimate way.—Anitra Gates
JUNE 2022 - AudioFile
AudioFile Golden Voice Bahni Turpin turns A.J. Verdelle’s reflections on her relationship with Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison into a song of praise and wonder. Morrison, born Chloe Wofford, first entered the author’s life after the publication of Verdelle’s novel, THE GOOD NEGRESS. They built a friendship based on their shared love of language and literature and their common experiences as Black women. Turpin’s perfect diction and melodic intonation take listeners through Verdelle’s worshipful delight at Miss Chloe’s attentions and even their sometimes prickly moments. With controlled understatement, Turpin shares Verdelle’s intense loss upon Morrison’s death in 2019. Turpin’s narration is intimate, insightful, and suffused with admiration for both these talented women. Her performance makes their unique story a journey worth taking. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2022-03-01
The joys, challenges, and lasting lessons of a friendship with Chloe Ardelia Wofford, aka Toni Morrison.
"When I met Toni Morrison in person, I had been her reader and her cheerleader for dozens of years," writes Verdelle. What followed was more than two decades of friendship and hero worship, including delights and resentments big and small (the author is still wondering why Morrison had to steal her favorite scarf), along with "two and a half spats" dished in detail. Morrison may have been a diva in many ways, but Verdelle couldn't have met her under more auspicious circumstances. In 1997, after she received a copy of Verdelle's first (and only) published novel, The Good Negress, Morrison sent back an unsolicited appreciation, almost unheard of. She went on to get the younger author invited to teach at Princeton, where she herself was ensconced alongside Black luminaries like Cornel West, Nell Painter, and Yusef Komunyakaa. Princeton was a mixed bag for Verdelle, who was ultimately repulsed by the overwhelming privilege on display. (She now teaches at Morgan State, a historically Black college in Baltimore.) Verdelle writes forcefully about the individual novels and about Morrison's achievement as a whole. “Relentlessly stripping the hegemonic gaze,” she writes, “Morrison made us and our human complexities so visible, in language so eloquent and deep, that the whole of world literature could not deny her innovation and brilliance." Elsewhere, she writes, "Morrison is to literature as James Brown is to popular culture”—the essence of Black and proud. The book is too long in the way of a phone conversation where the other person keeps thinking of one more thing they have to tell you, but luckily enough, that turns out to be interesting, as well. Verdelle is not afraid to grind an ax if necessary, and the one involving the failure of her second novel to see print is sharp indeed. Maybe something can be done about that.
Passionate, personal, insightful, testy, and unique.
