Three novels by a New York Times–bestselling author—including the Pulitzer Prizewinner The Color Purple—that speak to the African experience in America. The Color Purple is Alice Walker’s stunning, Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of courage in the face of oppression. Celie grows up in rural Georgia, navigating a childhood of ceaseless abuse. Not only is she poor and despised by the society around … poor and despised by the society around her, she’s badly treated by her family. As a teenager she begins writing letters directly to God in an attempt to transcend a life that often seems too much to bear. Her letters span twenty years and record a journey of self-discovery and empowerment through the guiding light of a few strong women and her own implacable will to find harmony with herself and her home. In The Temple of My Familiar, Celie and Shug from The Color Purple follow the lives of a brilliant cast of characters, all dealing in some way with the legacy of the African experience in America. From recent African immigrants, to a woman who grew up in the mixed-race rainforest communities of South America, to Celie’s own granddaughter living in modern-day San Francisco, all must come to understand the brutal stories of their ancestors to come to terms with their own troubled lives. Possessing the Secret of Joy portrays Tashi’s tribe, the Olinka, where young girls undergo genital mutilation as an initiation into the community. Tashi manages to avoid this fate at first, but when pressed by tribal leaders, she submits. Years later, married and living in America as Evelyn Johnson, Tashi’s inner pain emerges. As she questions why such a terrifying, disfiguring sacrifice was required, she sorts through the many levels of subjugation with which she’s been burdened over the years.
Hailed by the Washington Post as “one of the best American writers of today,” Alice Walker is a master storyteller and a major voice in modern literary fiction.
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A classic in every part of the imagination. Inspirational and evolved characters who will win your heart and challenge your soul.
For years, I didn’t read this book, everyone raved about it, I had a hardback copy to read, it got soaked in a flood, and went to the dump a sad soggy mess. I read this on my kindle, and I find I live Alice Walker’s writing, she throws so much history, and strength in fictional works, kept me reading and turning the pages.
One of my all time favorite books about the human condition and the power of love. Should be on everyone’s must read list.
The series are a great read
Do not need to say anything more to this great book by Alice Walker! Everybody should read this classic.
Ever since I read the Color Purple, I have found Alice Walker to be someone who plumbs the depths of the human experience and tackles tough issues (e.g., race, gender, sexuality, spirituality, etc.) with wit, grit, and intelligence. I love reading her writing and what it does for and to me.
The Color Purple was so wonderful and the Possesing the Secret of Joy was eye opening. Both were written so well. They should be a must read for all women. If young women read these 2 books, they would have a greater appreciation for what they have.
Amazing and life changing
Both sad and heart warming !