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beverleefernandez's review against another edition
5.0
The Color Purple is an unequivocal classic book and movie. It's one of the few books turned to movies that I can watch and read multiple times and always gain something new. Obviously I would love a book that examines how this work of art is a source of healing and memorialization. In Search of The Color Purple does not disappoint if you are curious about Alice Walker's journey to share the voices of Celie, Shug, Nettie, and Sofia with the world. The voices of Black women are often relegated to sideline in favor of amplifying Black men's, arguably a reminder of slavery and Jim Crow's impact on the Black community. I think it's important to consider that an abundance of civilizations have been centered with men as leaders and this is no different in the United States. I think The Color Purple is an intersectional text, one that doesn't limit the role of its characters in any form.
In Search of the Color Purple is organized around the main characters: Celie, Shug, and Sofia. It's not merely a synopsis of the characters, but a concise analysis. Who is the character based on? What makes this character stand out? What does this character represent? How do other readers feel about this character compared to how you feel? How does the passage of time change your perception of the characters or the novel? Does changing the medium of the story have a positive or negative impact? All questions are answered and I learned so much more than I expected. Maybe I'm naive, but I never really thought that there would be so much hate for a book that is an inspiration. I won't reduce it to critics being haters because they are entitled to their opinion. However, I think The Color Purple contains many necessary lessons. Redemption is a difficult path to pursue, especially if the desired result isn't immediate. True love should be celebrated regardless of it fitting into society's approved boundaries. Beauty is multifaceted and open to interpretation, especially in the physical sense. I really wish it was this simple, but live & let others live.
Beautiful writing from beginning to the end, I definitely feel more enlightened about the meaning and influence of The Color Purple.
"The path that Walker gives us in The Color Purple, from Celie's original trauma to her sexual awakening with Shug, from eventual forgiveness of Albert to final reconnection with her sister, her children, and to God in everything and everyone, is not merely character growth but a model for healing and transformation from oppressed subjects to empowered citizens" (15).
In Search of the Color Purple is organized around the main characters: Celie, Shug, and Sofia. It's not merely a synopsis of the characters, but a concise analysis. Who is the character based on? What makes this character stand out? What does this character represent? How do other readers feel about this character compared to how you feel? How does the passage of time change your perception of the characters or the novel? Does changing the medium of the story have a positive or negative impact? All questions are answered and I learned so much more than I expected. Maybe I'm naive, but I never really thought that there would be so much hate for a book that is an inspiration. I won't reduce it to critics being haters because they are entitled to their opinion. However, I think The Color Purple contains many necessary lessons. Redemption is a difficult path to pursue, especially if the desired result isn't immediate. True love should be celebrated regardless of it fitting into society's approved boundaries. Beauty is multifaceted and open to interpretation, especially in the physical sense. I really wish it was this simple, but live & let others live.
Beautiful writing from beginning to the end, I definitely feel more enlightened about the meaning and influence of The Color Purple.
"The path that Walker gives us in The Color Purple, from Celie's original trauma to her sexual awakening with Shug, from eventual forgiveness of Albert to final reconnection with her sister, her children, and to God in everything and everyone, is not merely character growth but a model for healing and transformation from oppressed subjects to empowered citizens" (15).
faelicia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
5.0
aliciaprettybrowneyereader's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
The Color Purple is one of the most beloved American stories. People encounter the story through the novel, movie or musical. In this book Salamishah Tillet explores the creation, reception and criticism of The Color Purple novel, movie and musical.
The book unfolds in 3 parts which are named after 3 of the iconic characters from The Color Purple. Part is named for Celie. The part explores the author, Alice Walker and her process leading up to penning the novel. The second part, Shug examines the criticisms over the novel and making it into a film. The last part, Sofia chronicles the development of The Color Purple into a musical.
This is a short book but it is packed with enlightening content. Tillet draws from published accounts about The Color Purple iterations, interviews with Alice Walker, Quincy Jones, Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders and others who were involved in the production of The Color Purple in its various forms.
Readers who enjoy literary criticism, fans of Alice Walker’s work, or fans of The Color Purple will enjoy this book.
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: In Search of the Color Purple: The Story of Alice Walker’s Masterpiece
Author: Salamishah Tillet
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: real Black women and people
Recommended For...: nonfiction
Publication Date: January 12, 2021
Genre: Nonfiction
Recommended Age: 15+ (sexual assault mention, race and racism, gender politics)
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Pages: 256
Synopsis: Alice Walker made history in 1983 when she became the first black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for The Color Purple. Published in the Reagan era amid a severe backlash to civil rights, the Jazz Age novel tells the story of racial and gender inequality through the life of a 14-year-old girl from Georgia who is haunted by domestic and sexual violence.
Prominent academic and activist Salamishah Tillet combines cultural criticism, history, and memoir to explore Walker’s epistolary novel and shows how it has influenced and been informed by the zeitgeist. The Color Purple received both praise and criticism upon publication, and the conversation it sparked around race and gender still continues today. It has been adapted for an Oscar-nominated film and a hit Broadway musical.
Through archival research and interviews with Walker, Oprah Winfrey, and Quincy Jones (among others), Tillet studies Walker’s life and how themes of violence emerged in her earlier work. Reading The Color Purple at age 15 was a groundbreaking experience for Tillet. It continues to resonate with her—as a sexual violence survivor, as a teacher of the novel, and as an accomplished academic.
Provocative and personal, In Search of The Color Purple is a bold work from an important public intellectual, and captures Alice Walker’s seminal role in rethinking sexuality, intersectional feminism, and racial and gender politics.
Review: I really like this book and that was behind the scenes but at the color purple. I have never watched it unfortunately, because I have not been able to own a copy of it. That was something that my parents didn't really watch so I didn't get to watch it. Even after reading the behind the scenes of it I do feel like I should go pick it up. I also really appreciate how very early honest this book was and showing the hardships that happened behind the scenes.
Verdict: Highly recommend!
Book: In Search of the Color Purple: The Story of Alice Walker’s Masterpiece
Author: Salamishah Tillet
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: real Black women and people
Recommended For...: nonfiction
Publication Date: January 12, 2021
Genre: Nonfiction
Recommended Age: 15+ (sexual assault mention, race and racism, gender politics)
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Pages: 256
Synopsis: Alice Walker made history in 1983 when she became the first black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for The Color Purple. Published in the Reagan era amid a severe backlash to civil rights, the Jazz Age novel tells the story of racial and gender inequality through the life of a 14-year-old girl from Georgia who is haunted by domestic and sexual violence.
Prominent academic and activist Salamishah Tillet combines cultural criticism, history, and memoir to explore Walker’s epistolary novel and shows how it has influenced and been informed by the zeitgeist. The Color Purple received both praise and criticism upon publication, and the conversation it sparked around race and gender still continues today. It has been adapted for an Oscar-nominated film and a hit Broadway musical.
Through archival research and interviews with Walker, Oprah Winfrey, and Quincy Jones (among others), Tillet studies Walker’s life and how themes of violence emerged in her earlier work. Reading The Color Purple at age 15 was a groundbreaking experience for Tillet. It continues to resonate with her—as a sexual violence survivor, as a teacher of the novel, and as an accomplished academic.
Provocative and personal, In Search of The Color Purple is a bold work from an important public intellectual, and captures Alice Walker’s seminal role in rethinking sexuality, intersectional feminism, and racial and gender politics.
Review: I really like this book and that was behind the scenes but at the color purple. I have never watched it unfortunately, because I have not been able to own a copy of it. That was something that my parents didn't really watch so I didn't get to watch it. Even after reading the behind the scenes of it I do feel like I should go pick it up. I also really appreciate how very early honest this book was and showing the hardships that happened behind the scenes.
Verdict: Highly recommend!
raesreadingcorner's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
michellehogmire's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Thanks to Abrams and Publishers Weekly giveaways for an advance galley of this title, which came out on Jan 12, 2021--
In 1983, Alice Walker became the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in fiction for "The Color Purple," which also claimed that year's National Book Award. Walker's road to this achievement was a long and fraught one, but the harshest criticisms were yet to come.
Salamishah Tillet's intriguing quick-read "In Search of the Color Purple" blends Walker's biography and the history of her famous novel with memoir content and cultural criticism about the book's impact on Tillet and others. "The Color Purple" was heavily influenced by Walker's own family, with certain ancestors and experiences serving as direct inspirations for the book's characters. Tillet tracks Walker's life, from her activism work with Howard Zinn in college, to her championing of Zora Neale Hurston, to her friendship with Gloria Steinem and employment at Ms. magazine, etc. "In Search of the Color Purple" then follows Walker from the publication of the novel, to the release of the film, to both versions of the musical stage play.
If the book "The Color Purple" was controversial for its critical portrayal of abusive Black men and openness about Black lesbianism, then the film version was viewed by many as an absolute outrage. Some Black men, including NAACP members, boycotted and picketed the film--claiming that its depiction of men played into sexual stereotypes about aggressive Black male sexuality, and that the film encouraged lesbianism as a better relationship option for Black women. Reviews of Walker and her work were often relentless, with critics lambasting her choices about Celie's speech and dismissing her use of the epistolary format. Despite all the political squabbles over the work, "The Color Purple" overall had an enormous influence on Black women and helped to normalize women coming forward with their stories about assault and abuse--like Oprah and Tillet herself.
In today's political climate, the 1980s backlash to Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" seems both completely overblown and totally likely--all at the same time. I'd like to think that a contemporary work addressing domestic abuse and lesbianism in the Black community wouldn't be met with such ire, but I'm not sure. Given how many Black women in the BLM movement have been calling out Black men for their lackluster allyship, it's obvious that the intersection of racism and sexism is still a fraught issue. The story of Walker's novel further proves how vital intersectional politics are--fighting racism, sexism, and classism equally, without ranking an oppression's importance.
sumomcgrath's review against another edition
4.0
I received a digital advance reader’s copy of In Search of the Color Purple by Salamishah Tillet from the publisher (Abrams Press). In Search of the Color Purple is scheduled for release on January 12, 2021.
In Search of the Color Purple is a nonfiction exploration of the story behind The Color Purple. Tillet approaches this exploration as both an academic and a person who continues to be deeply impacted by the story. To research this book, Tillet interviewed Alice Walker, Oprah Winfrey, and other individuals involved in the publication of the novel, the adaptation to film, and the adaptation to the Broadway stage. Tillet weaves together the stories behind the story with the effects the story had on her personally, as well as the waves that rolled from The Color Purple out into the world.
I have read The Color Purple several times, as well as viewed the film adaptation. As a white woman, I could appreciate some of what the novel had to say. I also knew that as a white woman, there were layers below what I could see that I was unaware of. In Search of the Color Purple took me down into the story through the point of view of a black woman. Tillet has a deep understanding of the issues of race and feminism woven throughout the book, as well as an understanding of the intersection of race and feminism. This intersection was the largest piece that I had overlooked before, so reading this book opened up layers of the story that had been inaccessible to me.
Tillet also explores how The Color Purple in its various formats was received by the world. As the novel was unafraid to address racism, sexism, incest, and abuse on the page, many people took issue with the story. Tillet’s exploration tackles these responses, considering why so many different views of the story came into being.
While there were a few spots where Tillet’s writing was a bit rough or choppy, In Search of the Color Purple was an enlightening journey through the birth, live, and afterlife of a powerful story. I recommend this book to anyone who loves The Color Purple, or who thinks there might be more for them to understand about the story.
In Search of the Color Purple is a nonfiction exploration of the story behind The Color Purple. Tillet approaches this exploration as both an academic and a person who continues to be deeply impacted by the story. To research this book, Tillet interviewed Alice Walker, Oprah Winfrey, and other individuals involved in the publication of the novel, the adaptation to film, and the adaptation to the Broadway stage. Tillet weaves together the stories behind the story with the effects the story had on her personally, as well as the waves that rolled from The Color Purple out into the world.
I have read The Color Purple several times, as well as viewed the film adaptation. As a white woman, I could appreciate some of what the novel had to say. I also knew that as a white woman, there were layers below what I could see that I was unaware of. In Search of the Color Purple took me down into the story through the point of view of a black woman. Tillet has a deep understanding of the issues of race and feminism woven throughout the book, as well as an understanding of the intersection of race and feminism. This intersection was the largest piece that I had overlooked before, so reading this book opened up layers of the story that had been inaccessible to me.
Tillet also explores how The Color Purple in its various formats was received by the world. As the novel was unafraid to address racism, sexism, incest, and abuse on the page, many people took issue with the story. Tillet’s exploration tackles these responses, considering why so many different views of the story came into being.
While there were a few spots where Tillet’s writing was a bit rough or choppy, In Search of the Color Purple was an enlightening journey through the birth, live, and afterlife of a powerful story. I recommend this book to anyone who loves The Color Purple, or who thinks there might be more for them to understand about the story.