Over on my booktube channel (Hannah's Books), I shared this book in my description of exciting books forthcoming in early July. Link to the particular discussion: https://youtu.be/rewmOEk8YaM?si=SLE6CpIbCACy1fg7&t=140

“Everything about Toni Morrison’s distinguished editorship pointed to her understanding of that one truth—that any attempt to revolutionize the publishing industry to be more inclusive of Black authors and Black stories would require an army of people united by a belief in literary and artistic excellence in Black culture.”

toni at random gives a comprehensive overview of toni morrison’s career as an editor at random house. starting with her journey to becoming an editor, subsequent chapters outline the wide range of projects she has worked on — including novels, anthologies, short story collections, poetry, autobiographies, and even a recipe book.

morrison is sure of her importance as an editor and collaborator with every project she works on. at times, her assertive and confident nature clashed with her colleagues but subsequently assured her dedication to publishing the best work possible. toni morrison was fully concerned with highlighting the range black voices and stories, leaving a much needed impact on the publishing industry, the black community, and the cultural and political landscape of the u.s. and the world.

dana a. williams does a phenomenal job at distilling such a fruitful career into manageable and readable chapters. i personally loved that she doesn’t shy away from the complications, tensions, and missteps of morrison’s career, which only emphasized how profound of an editor morrison was.

i would highly recommend this for lovers of books, (aspiring) writers, editors, and publishers, and anyone who doesn’t mind growing your already long tbr.

Informative is an understatement. I went into this book not fully realizing just how much of an impact Toni Morrison had—not just as a writer, but as a force in publishing. This book gave me a deeper understanding of Morrison’s mission: to bring Black literature into the mainstream and to make space for stories that otherwise might have been ignored or buried.

What I loved most was seeing how many pivotal works she had a hand in—not just editing, but championing. The book really laid out how deeply embedded Morrison was in the literary world, shaping and elevating Black voices across genres and generations. That part was a true joy.

I also appreciated that it didn’t sugarcoat her legacy. Toni Morrison wasn’t portrayed as some gentle, polished icon—she had bite, attitude, and sharpness. If you’ve ever watched old interviews with her, you know that about her already. She was brilliant, but she also had edges, and the book didn’t shy away from that. I loved that it presented her as a real person—one with strong opinions and even a little drama behind the scenes.

That said, the book did feel a little redundant at times—circling the same points in different ways, almost like a scholarly paper stretched into a full-length book. It has a definite academic tone, almost textbook-like in places, but I didn’t mind too much because the subject matter was so rich.

For anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes work of making Black literature visible, publishable, and powerful, this is a great starting point. It’s not flashy—but it is important.

I was able to read this book via the audiobook through net galley. After listening to the audiobook, I will be picking up the paperback copy of this book. I will be reading this again and taking notes. Toni Morrison's editorial work was so encouraging because she was a true support for authors and readers in multiple ways.

An important piece of work. I love all things Toni Morrison and will definitely be buying a hardcover copy for my shelves.

It's impossible to deny the impact that Toni Morrison's had with her writing, but fewer know that she was a tour de force in the publishing world as well. I'd always kind of known she worked at a publishing house, but picked this book up out of curiosity because I wanted to learn more about her legacy in publishing as an editor. And wow, I was not expecting to learn so much--I flew through this book because I became quite invested in it. Really recommend it if you want to see more of Toni Morrison's publishing legacy and how she helped change it for the better in her own way.

I thought this was such a good book. As a reader, I first came into contact with Toni Morrison with a copy of "Jazz" that I stole from my stepmom's bookshelf. That started a deep love throughout my life with Toni and her writing, and what I enjoyed about this book, is that it gives an overview to Toni's life as an editor. We learned from different insights about her impact, but I think for me, one thing I would've wanted to see more of is her deep impact on the publishing industry as a whole.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Toni Morrison's writing, but also those who are not as familiar.

This is an absolute must read! For someone who loves Toni Morrison's work and believes she is a literary GODDESS, I was ashamed that I did not know she was an editor. This book takes us into her life as an editor and the amazing work she's done amplifying Black voices. She is responsible for works by Angela Davis, Huey P. Newton and Toni Cade Bambara (I was actually simultaneously reading Gorilla, My Love and had no clue she was the editor) among others. Toni is a woman whose life is an inspiration to many. I'm not a nonfiction reader but this book and her work has inspired me to read more of the works she has a hand in. Thank you @danaawilliamsink for writing this book and shedding a light on this incredible facet of Morrison's life giving us more to love about her!
Thank you @netgalley and publishers for my advanced copy and a chance to read and review

This is by far the most insightful ARC I have read to date. Granted, I opted to listen to nearly all of it though the text-to-speech feature given its total saturation with details. I found myself craving movement to keep up with all of the information. Embracing the challenge, however, was genuinely rewarding. I was inspired by the clear depictions of Morrison's intelligence, tenacity, and diplomacy. Her individual relationships with various authors was also very illuminating. Through Toni at Random, Morrison easily serves as my role model as an aspiring editor and writer.

Toni at Random by Dana A. Williams is a fascinating exploration about the incomparable Toni Morrison’s incredible legacy upon the publishing world as an editor specifically her tenure at Random House. Toni Morrison was a beloved giant in the literary world. Her profound books, writings, and words are still being devoured and having an impact on her devout readers, and those who are new to her works. But many readers don’t know how she changed publishing through her editorship.

Dana A. Williams research and first hand accounts into Toni Morrison’s time as an editor is impeccable. She sheds light on how Toni as an editor working with major talents gave voice to their amazing stories, and truly helped shift the cultural context in the literary world. Toni at Random: The Iconic Writer’s Legendary Editorship is a meticulously crafted, insightful memoir that exposes Toni Morrison’s editorial prowess, and incredible genius. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this engaging book. A huge thank you to Amistad, the author, and NetGalley for the eARC of the book. If you’re looking for a captivating nonfiction book to read, then definitely add Toni at Random to your list.

Toni at Random is for the soft Toni Morrison fans or people unaware of her outside of her fiction. The first few chapters alone read like essays, and the narrative structure isn't catching my attention. I expected it to be more of a creative nonfiction text than textbook-like. For people deep into her work and her background, the book is redundant and adds nothing. Just go watch her documentary. .

If you have ever read any of Toi Morrison's books this one is for you. If you wanted and understanding of her work there is something to be gained from reading this book. I learned a few things that I didn't know about and this book made me want to read a lot of the books that Toni Morrison edited. The publishing world lost one of the most amazing writers and editors that ever lived. This book also kind of gave me civil rights vibes. I would love to have been a fly on the wall in the rooms that she was in.

Toni Morrison is widely recognized as a Nobel Prize-winning author! This book, however, focuses on her tenure as an editor during a critical juncture in the publishing industry. Despite being a bit different, I still found this read enjoyable!

Exquisitely written and a look into a life well lived.

I was only familiar with Morrison as an author and this gave a look at her work as an editor. Formidable in both aspects of her life. I would recommend to anyone looking to know more about Toni Morrison.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amistad for the eARC!

This book was a little bit different from what I imagined; while it is quite biographical, it went into details about each book project that I wasn't expecting.
Williams does a great job of describing each project and its importance. We also get to watch Morrison come into her own as an editor across the projects (and time).

This book is ahead of its time about a lady who was ahead of her time. Splendidly written. I really enjoyed this one.

Let us start with the title - it is fabulous!
Most of what hear regarding Toni Morrison focuses on her as a writer. This book focuses on her time at Random House as an editor. It is a great insight into the impact that she had on the works of others and the culture at large.
Readers will enjoy this if they want a deeper look into Morrison's scope and impact beyond her contributions to fiction and her overall imprint on the publishing industry.
It was interesting to learn about the other talented writers that she worked with in this capacity and the battles she faced to publish stories reflective of the black experience.

This is a superb, powerful, and compelling book about Toni Morrison's work as an editor of non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and the un-classifiable at Random House. (It's the book The World She Edited by Amy Reading could have been.) Williams, using Morrison's archives, digs into the how and why of Morrison asked authors for the changes she did, how she analyzed manuscripts, how she brought her expertise into editing groundbreaking works including Angela Davis's autobiography, poetry and fiction by Lucille Clifton, how much care and meaning she took with the layouts of the books she edited, her approaches to marketing and publicity, her deftness with contracts and working with authors who presented challenges, like Gayl Jones and Mohammad Ali and his various ghostwriters. Anyone interested in publishing and the creation of books should read this, and I'd add it to any syllabus for students wanting to become editors. It's also a pleasure to read in its own right--Williams is a master of biography and every word, excerpt, and detail is carefully chosen and placed and given context. It's a masterpiece.

A multifaceted genius, Toni Morrison transcended her role as an author, helping to shape an important period in American publishing and literature as an editor at one of the nation’s most prestigious publishing houses. While Toni Morrison's literary achievements are widely celebrated, her editorial work is little known. Drawing on extensive research and firsthand accounts, this comprehensive study discusses Morrison's remarkable journey from her early days at Random House to her emergence as one of its most important editors. During her tenure in editorial, Morrison refashioned the literary landscape, working with important authors, including Toni Cade Bambara, Leon Forrest, and Lucille Clifton, and empowering cultural icons such as Angela Davis and Muhammad Ali to tell their stories on their own terms.

Toni Morrison herself had great enthusiasm about Dana Williams's work on this story, generously sharing memories and thoughts with the author over the years, even giving her the book's title. From the manuscripts she molded, the authors she nurtured, and the readers she inspired, Toni at Random demonstrates how Toni Morrison has influenced American culture beyond the individual titles or authors she published. Morrison’s contribution as an editor transformed the broader literary landscape and deepened the cultural conversation. With unparalleled insight and sensitivity, Toni at Random charts this editorial odyssey.

This book is a great remembrance of a master at work and the projects that define Black literature. I would recommend this book to people who are interested in publishing, the genius of Morrison-especially the projects that she edited, and the challenges of editing. I especially could see it being useful for people who are chairing dissertations or other book projects.

As a fan of Toni Morrison I would read anything about her or written by her.. I enjoyed seeing a different side of her. Looking at her as an editor and not just a writer