The Color Purple

Alice Walker 1982

Devastation Rating

Emotionally Ruined
injustice literary fiction historical family love survival

Our Take

Celie's letters to God start in terror and end somewhere beyond survival. Walker writes Black womanhood in the American South with complete clarity about what it costs, and the love between Celie and Shug is the most radical thing in the novel. A book that earns its hope without softening its horror.

Also available as an audiobook without an Audible subscription. See audiobook options →

This page contains affiliate links. If you buy a book through one of these links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure →