The Color Purple by Alice Walker|September BOTM- Banned Book Club|

Blurb (as on Goodreads):

Set in the deep American South between the wars, it is the tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation. Raped repeatedly by the man she calls ‘father’, she has two children taken away from her, is separated from her beloved sister Nettie and is trapped into an ugly marriage. But then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery, singer and magic-maker – a woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. Gradually, Celie discovers the power and joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves.

In 1984, The Color Purple was challenged in a high school honors class in Oakland, California due to the work’s “sexual and social explicitness” and its “troubling ideas about race relations, man’s relationship to God, African history, and human sexuality.”Celie’s life has been full of hardships. After being raped by the man she calls “father”, she is sent off to marry a white man, because she is ugly and lazy and hence, expendable. But her married life is equally challenging. She is forced to raise her husband’s kids from his previous wife, who love tormenting her. Her husband sees her as a punching bag and is in love with another woman.

As the years’ pass, Celie losses her life and is later saved by the woman she envies the most. As Shug Avery becomes her ray of sunshine, Celie sees a different life- a life where she is loved and encouraged to be herself.

“All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and my uncles. A girl child ain’t safe in a family of men. But I never thought I’d have to fight in my own house. She let out her breath. I loves Harpo, she say. God knows I do. But I’ll kill him dead before I let him beat me.”

On the other hand, life in Africa is equally sad. Nettie, Celie’s sister gives a first-hand experience of the life of the natives and how traditions and later invasion and oppression is making their life difficult.

The Color Purple explores themes such as abuse, homosexuality, betrayal, and pain. While sexual explicitness is there as a part of the story, somewhere along the line, it’s also a grave truth and writing about it will let the world know the life of African immigrants in America.

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.”

Man’s relationship with God has been presented as personal and circumstantial. The author has expressed so much with as few words as possible, and that is where the beauty of this book lies. The Color Purple makes a tiny home inside you.

Will I recommend? YES, YES, YES!!!

To join or know more about The Banned Book Club hosted by the lovely Shruti @thisislit, click here

Purchase Links:                                 |Amazon Paperback|