"If there is a book that you really want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it" – Toni Morrison 

Toni Morrison, birth name Chloe Ardelia Wofford, was born on February 18, 1931 in Lorain, Ohio. The second child in a working-class family, she was an avid reader as a little girl and had an immediate love for literature. A decorated scholar from prestigious schools, she was a teacher before becoming an accomplished author. She began writing fiction as part of an informal group and won several awards. Then, in 1987, she wrote "Beloved." The book garnered critical acclaim and won her a Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Beloved was later adapted into a film of the same name by Oprah Winfrey. In 1993, Ms. Morrison was the first African-American woman to receive a Nobel Prize for literature. Learn more about the inspiring life of Toni Morrison here. Explore more free articles on our website here.