I absolutely loved this book.

First of all, I feel like this author writes in the style of the people she’s writing about… Women whose words can make you fall in love with writing and fall in love with words.

Second, I am just fascinated by the breakdown of the three main women characters in The Color Purple, Celie, Shug and Sofia, and what they did for the time in which the story was written. And the time in which it was made a movie, and the time in which it was brought to Broadway, AND the time in which it was incorporated into school curricula.

I am enamored with the power of the story and definitely am ready to read The Color Purple over again because I have not seen the movie since 1984. And I want to read the book again which I can’t remember when the last time I read it was but I know I’m overdue for reading it again with my older self. And with the fresh eyes that I have now.

I had no idea how scandalous The Color Purple was deemed and how vehemently opposed some religious leaders and churches and Black men in particular were to the book, and the movie. And i had no idea how much of a contribution it was to the conversation and movement around violence, sexual assault, and rape.

The other thing that I absolutely love was how the process of taking The Color Purple to film and then to Broadway went. The choices to explore characters further, to cut new facets of dimensionality into their personalities. To experiment with different outcomes and different resolutions, different ways the triumphs were presented.

I am in awe of how healing the work has been to so many. I mean I knew that their were fans and I understand that their are the “super fans” but there are so many whose lives were never the same after reading The Color Purple. Oprah Winfrey herself said she used to buy copies of it and hand it out to friends and strangers alike. Saying you have to read this! You have to read this! (Before she even had an inkling she would be in the movie!)

And that was Steven Spielberg‘s reaction. And that was Quincy Jones’s reaction. And on and on!

In Search of the Color Purple inspires me in so many ways: To learn more about the author, Salamisha Tillet, to learn more about Alice Walker, to learn more about all of the characters involved, and to do more writing of my own stories.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️