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Summary: The Color Purple
Review: If you enjoy coming of age stories and can handle graphic "love scenes", I recommend this book. It follows a girl named Celie from a young age to womanhood. The story is written in a journal format. Celie is raped by her stepfather at a young age, and from then on she doesn't really like men. Her beloved sister, Nettie, becomes a missionary and they have no contact for many years except for Nettie's letters from Africa. Meanwhile, Celie falls in love with Miss Shug Avery, who openly sleeps with Nettie's husband. This is where the love scenes come in and they are fairly descriptive. The mood of this book varies from part to part. Sometimes I felt sad (when Nettie goes away), discusted (the rape), happy (when Celie finds herself), and boredom (Nettie's letters from Africa). There is a story within a story, of Nettie and hher missionary work in Africa. Nettie sends letters to Celie all during the time period where they are apart. The setting isn't clarified in the book, but i would guess that it takes place in the 1930's or 1940's. The book can get very confusing at parts. Celie refers to her husband as "Mr.____". I'm in a dilemma as to whether I liked the book or not. The overall storyline was good, but dull at points. Also, I think that some parts in the story weren't needed, like Celie "discovering" herself. On a scale from 1 to 10, I give this a 5.
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Summary: The Color purple isnt so pretty
Review: The color purple by alice walker is a fairly famous book. Yet i just finished the book and dont seem to understand. The book is about two sisters, separated when they were 14. One sister moves to Africa and the other stays in the states. The book is written through letters to God and between to sisters. I personally dont like the way the story is written. I think that these letters draw the book out far too long. Also i thought the book on a whole was not very intersting.
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Summary: an extraordinary testimony to one woman's courage...
Review: ....wrought with artistic and humanitarian integrity by the great Alice Walker. Absolutely loved it. You'll never look at "the color purple" the same way again.
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Summary: Written for Women Everywhere
Review: The Color Purple is by far one of the most thought out and well written books that I have ever read. It is all about a girl named Celie and her trecherous, traumatic, and finally triumphant walk through life. Though Celie begins poor, unhappy, and sexually abused, she over comes all obstacles and becomes outspoken, strong, and confident. But she doesn't do it alone. Along the way, Celie receives help from the other women in the book. Whether they help with love and kindness or lead by example, Celie is influenced by every last one. By making women the stronger characters, Alice Walker shows all who read that women are certainly not the weaker sex. She represents men as indecisive, weak, and abusive. Celie is also influenced by God and religion. When she is raped by her step father, he tells her that she'd, "better not tell nobody but God," and so that is exactly what she does. This novel is actually a series of letters written by Celie to God about the events occuring in her life. Although she writes to him often, Celie is never really close to God until her lover, Shug, explains her views of God to Celie: that God is an 'it', and that God is found in nature. This, reflecting Alice Walker's own views of God and religion, changes the way Celie looks at life and gives her a much more optomistic point of view. Also, Celie's sister Nettie is a missionary in Africa and witnesses to Celie in her letters every chance that she gets. Though the book contains many 'questionable' subjects, over all it has an excellent message to deliver, and I would recommend it to anyone with an open mind.
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Summary: very interesting and innovative book
Review: As part of our 8th grade English curriculum, we were asked tochoose an independent reading book. The book that I chose to read wasThe Color Purple, written by Alice Walker. My purpose in reading this book was to get another perspective on racism in the U.S. during the mid-20th century, while reading To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee. The point of view about black people differ in To Kill A Mockingbird and The Color Purple. The authors of these two books are of different races. The black people in To Kill A Mockingbird are not developed at all, however, all of the developed characters in The Color Purple are black. For example, the two most important black characters in To Kill A Mockingbird, Tom Robinson and Calpurnia, are understood on a very basic level. Even though especially Tom Robinson serves as a big theme in the book, Tom Robinson, himself, is not very developed. Similarly, in The Color Purple, all of the white characters in the book are stereotypical and underdeveloped. In fact, all of the developed characters, such as Celie, Shug Avery and Mr., are black. I think that in order to get a fair understanding of racism in that time period, it is a good idea to read a books written by both white and black people. This way one can understand the period through two different perspectives.
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Summary: The Color Purple
Review: I reviewed The Color Purple by Alice Walker as part of an eighth grade English study on racism in 20th century America. I read this alongside Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Walker's novel is the story about two African American sisters, Celie and Nettie. The first, Celie, a women doubting love and God in the middle of an unhappy marriage, just like the relationships she's had with all the men in her life; abusive and harrasive. The second is an African missionary learning to love and trying to help save a village from developing white men. I think that this books takes a while to get into, afterwards you'll be so consumed by the characters you won't be able to put it down. Reading The Color Purple alongside To Kill a Mockingbird shows the differences in the perspective of the narrator. These books differ; one is from a young white childs point of view and the other is from an adult African Americans. It shows the different approaches, attitudes, and understanding of the time to racism. From both perspectives the whites were in charge, the most blacks accepted that as a fact to live by; they knew it would never be overcome without the white men's help. In The Color Purple Celie was ruled over and accepted that the whites were better and more powerful. The only black in the book who goes against this Sophia. She insults and fights back to the mayor's wife when she asked Sophia to be her maid. In return she gets thrown in jail and looses everything. Seeing the harm that comes to Sophia when she tries to defend herself all the other blacks stay in line. In To Kill a Mockingbird there are a few white people who don't believe in racism. This gives the blacks support and they realize they may be able to help there town change. From this novel, The Color Purple, I learned that for things to change you need to make the people in power want to change. The white would not want to let the blacks share their power and importance. I also learned the happiness can be found in different ways and that there is no right lifestyle.
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Summary: THE COLOR PURPLE, a heartfelt masterpiece
Review: "I maybe black, I may be poor, I maybe a woman, and I may even be ugly! But thank God I'm here" I have recently finished reading The Color Purple, by Alice Walker. This book had the most emotional impact on me, more then any other book I have ever read. It gives the reader a vivid and terrifying description of the life of a black woman growing up in the early twenty century. I read this book for my eighth grade English class. Everyone was assigned to read an independent reading book that relates and associates with the timeless classic, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Even though the main character in each book was placed in completely different situations, the same issues applied to both. There were both victims of sexism. Both their lives were dominated by men and Celie, in The Color Purple, was abused by them physically and mentally because they wanted to keep her in line and control her to a certain extent that doesn't allow her to think for herself. Scout, in To Kill a Mockingbird, had constant pressure upon her to be the lady society had shaped woman to be. The Color Purple opened up to an experience that many woman faced but was chosen to be ignored by the public. It expressed the harshness of reality and the pain inflicted amongst many woman of a different race during this period of time. The Color Purple takes place in the south and spans thirty years in the life of Celie, a poor southern black woman. Alice Walker portrays the life of an innocent girl who is put through rape, physical abuse, teenage marriage, child birth and emotional abuse. Celie started out as a slave to her own family. Her mother is killed, and Celie and her siblings are raised by their father. Celie goes through the transition of a slave to an individual. Celie is an extremely strong character that overcomes the many years of abuse that was put upon her. The book was conveyed in a style that is unique in its own sense and the use of the Southern English makes the book especially realistic and more like an actual journal. I have felt that it is the most powerful portrayal of a woman and her struggle to survive. This character shows the reader that she is a survivor and your future can't be determined from your past.
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Summary: The Color Purple
Review: As an eighth grade student, I was recently assigned to read one of a number of books for my English class that give information about the many prejudices and difficulties African-Americans have faced. As a class, we had just finished reading the classic, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and this assignment was given in a hopes to provide a different perspective on African culture in America and on the many horrible trials African-Americans experienced. I chose to read The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Through reading both of these books, I feel I got a more complete picture of the terrible bigotry African-Americans faced in our country. I also got a clearer idea of African culture. Following is my description of The Color Purple, a book that is not as widely read as To Kill a Mockingbird, and a book that is not as easily described in one or two sentences. "The black woman is one of America's greatest heroes... She has been oppressed beyond recognition," once said author Alice Walker to an interviewer. Walker's most famous work, The Color Purple, is the most telling and moving account of what Walker was speaking of: the many hardships of African American women. Walker's novel is the story of a woman, Celie, who finds both her voice and her own self through the rediscovery of love after she has experienced much torment. Throughout the course of the book, Celie undergoes more suffering than any one person can handle-incest, physical and emotional degradation, and repeated separation from those she loves. Yet all that Celie goes through only makes her stronger; she is a true example of the vivacity of the human spirit. Most, if not all, of the oppression Celie is subjected to is caused by the men around her. Whether it is her stepfather who molests her, her husband who treats her like his slave, or the inclement step boy she must raise, Celie is continually put through much anguish by the men in her life who are meant to love her. It is fitting, than, that in the end, Celie finds her independence and self-respect not through a man, but through a woman, Shug, who is, however ironically, her husband's lover. Celie first experiences love, and thus learns to better understand herself, through her relationship with Shug. Shug provides Celie with friendship, affection, and an original way of looking at the world; she teaches Celie to stand up for herself, and not to be afraid of her feelings. Not only is The Color Purple the story of the valiant women in our world, but it is also a story of the ties that bind women together. This unique and thought provoking novel is told through a series of letters (written in dialect) that Celie, at first, addresses to God, but later addresses to Nettie, her long lost sister with whom she reconnects. There are a number of letters Nettie addresses to Celie, as well, and it is through both sets of letters that the reader is shown the strong union all women share. This poignant tale reminds one to remain true to oneself and to stand up for one's rights. Though this book's themes are powerful, its strength is not found solely in the messages it conveys. It is the author's ability to put the reader into the story, to make the reader live life along with Celie, Shug, Nettie, and other incredibly courageous women, that makes this book so memorable. The reader will surely be able to identify with many of Celie's emotions, and thus, will better understand Walker's genius. Briefly summarized, The Color Purple is a book about African culture in America. Though it speaks briefly about racism, this story mainly teaches about the life and standing of African-Americans from the point-of-view of an African-American woman. To Kill a Mockingbird is told from a completely different perspective, that of a white girl, Scout Finch. To Kill a Mockingbird is a much more direct condemnation of intolerance, while The Color Purple only hints at its many ramifications. However, together, I was able to gather a very complete view of all that African-Americans have been put through. I learned that the difficulties they have faced is brought on by both the guidelines set in their own society and, mainly, by the mistreatment they have suffered at the hands of their fellow Americans. I have also learned, through both these books, that family and love can get a person through anything, be it incest or a murder trial.
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Summary: An inspiring read!
Review: I read The Color Purple by Alice Walker as my independent reading book for my eighth grade English class. As a class, we were also reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Both books discuss racism in the early twentieth century. To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on the issue as a problem that white people have to fix. The characters in The Color Purple live around racism, accepting it as a fact of life. They don't expect anyting to change; they're used to life with racism, and they don't see any point in changing it themselves. The Color Puple is a hard book to read; not so much the language, but the ideas and concepts that are introduced and dealt with are harsh, and even disturbing. Celie, the main character, is a black woman trying to survive in a cold and unforgiving world. She suffered an abusive father and then an abusive husband. Her letters to God, and then later ones to her sister express her journey from a lost and helpless child to a confidante, self-serving woman. All of Celie's feelings and thoughts are presented bluntly. The graphic nature with which her experiences are described are moving, distressing, and enlightening. I was emotionally torn over and over again with pity and pride for Celie, hatred, disgust and compassion fo Mr.______, and admiration for Shug. This book is a wonderful and moving story about a woman's journey through life. This book is definitely for mature readers. I would recommend this book to anyone with an accepting and open mind.
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Summary: The Color Purple
Review: In eigth grade english class, all the students read an outsidereading book. I read Alice Walker's, THE COLOR PURPLE. I am fourteenyears old and attend SFDS. While we were reading our outside reading books, we were reading, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Both of the books address the topic of race. In TKM, race is handled as something that can only become better through time. In TCP, the characters accept their role as a "lower class" in society. THE COLOR PURPLE is about a woman named Celie and her trials and tribulations through life. She is faced with many problems throughout her life. The book is written in the form of a series of letters. Usually Celie is addressing God or Nettie, her sister. The book is very deppressing because of the hardships that Celie goes through growing up. I had to take breaks frequently because the book was very deep and is hard to read for extensive periods of time. In most parts, the book is well written. But in some parts, the language becomes hard to understand and you can get lost in it. The writing is often hard to understand because it is written in the style of a southern black women with minimal education. Overall, the book was well written but could get tedious at some points.
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