This is a wonderful book that delves into the history and afterlife of one of the best novels ever written. The way that Salamishah Tillet points to and illustrates the ways in which Alice Walker's seminal novel "The Color Purple" has reached out its hands and cradled so many in its existence is astonishing. She points to all the ways in which the work was ahead of its time and the depths of its characters which many would often overlook for the superficiality of just reading a good story (or watching a good movie, if your only frame of reference is the Spielberg film). Speaking with Walker, Oprah, Quincy Jones, and several other connected to "The Color Purple", Tillet also includes her own story of surviving sexual assault and her own rise as a black feminist due in part to the words and work of Alice Walker, adding to the pool of "purple people" who found this book at such a poignant time of their lives. It's a must-read for anyone who loves Walker's novel or the Spielberg film and wants to know more.