Chloe Anthony Wofford was born in Lorain, Ohio, February 8, 1931. Her parents had moved there from the south to escape racism and to find better job opportunities. Morrison was a talented student and after graduation she went on to Howard University in Washington, D.C. After receiving a bachelor's degree at Howard she attended Cornell University, where she earned her Master's degree.

Morrison later went to work for a subsidiary of Random House Books as an associate editor, and it was during this time that she began to write. She dusted off some previous work and turned it into a novel and has not stopped writing since. For her efforts she has received a Pulitzer Prize in literature and numerous other accolades.