Namwali Serpell on Toni Morrison and the Power of Ambiguity

Namwali Serpell on Toni Morrison and the Power of Ambiguity

Beloved reflects a deep ambivalence about revelation, specifically about the use of language to reveal."">"Beloved reflects a deep ambivalence about revelation, specifically about the use of language to reveal."

By Namwali Serpell | February 20, 2026

Why Are We Fascinated by Strange Faces?

Why Are We Fascinated by Strange Faces?

Namwali Serpell Considers the "Smiling Disease" Exhibit, the Elephant Man, Michael Jackson, and Cleopatra

By Namwali Serpell | September 29, 2020

Africa Has Always Been Sci-Fi

Africa Has Always Been Sci-Fi

On Nnedi Okorafor and a New Generation of Afrofuturists

By Namwali Serpell | April 1, 2016

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

  • Etna
  • Triage
  • The Amateur
  • The People's Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn
  • The Ego Trip: Psychedelic Toads, a Trail of Deaths, and the Guru Who Peddled Transcendence
  • Sunrise
  • A Tender Age
  • Don't Be Evil: Bad Bosses, Fake Promises, and My Escape from Big Tech
  • Days of Miracle and Wonder: Paul Simon and the Trials and Triumphs of Graceland
  • The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State

  • Literary Hub

    Created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature


    Masthead

    About

    Sign Up For Our Newsletters

    How to Pitch Lit Hub

    Advertisers: Contact Us

    Privacy Policy

    Support Lit Hub - Become A Member

    • If you buy books linked on our site, Lit Hub may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.