Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1983, The Color Purple has been censored and banned for violence, sexual content and racism. Celie, the main character, is raped by her stepfather, her children are given away, and she is forced to marry a physically and emotionally abusive widower to take care of his three children. Celie and her sister, Nettie, are forcibly separated. Celie writes letters to God. Nettie, working with a missionary family in Africa, writes letters to Celie she never receives. Albert, Celie’s husband, threatens harm if she touches the mailbox. Much later the letters are discovered by Shug Avery, Albert and Celie’s lover, and are shared with Celie. Shug helps Celie escape Albert’s abuse to become successful by starting a custom sewing business. After 30 years, Celie and Nettie are finally reunited.
This is a painful story but an important story to read. It’s a story of perseverance, to realize that Celie survived, escaped, was at peace and eventually thrived.
~Emma
Read it or Weep 