THE COLOR PURPLE Selected for March Book Club Discussion

Maybe you read the book when it came out in 1982 or after it won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.  Maybe you saw the 1985 movie, directed by Stephen Spielberg with Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey in the cast.  Or you might have caught the new musical version at the theater, although it came and went quickly at the Yakima theaters.  Or maybe you have just heard about the book that hit “most challenged books” lists several years.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker has been part of our popular culture meets race relations milieu for 40 years.  So, let’s read or re-read this powerful story.  We will share our reactions at our Book Club meeting, Thursday, March 14, 2024, 3:00 PM at our church home at 407 N 1st Street, Suite 3.  Eight copies will be available, first come, first serve, at Wednesday coffee and Sunday Service the first week of February.  If you want one saved for you, call Susan.

As always, everyone is welcome to our gathering; if you haven’t read the book, you are still invited to sit in with us.  Optional: bring a snack to share.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker.  1982.  304 pages.

 Celebrating its fortieth anniversary, The Color Purple writes a message of healing, forgiveness, self-discovery, and sisterhood to a new generation of readers. 

A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, this novel depicts the lives of African American women in early-twentieth-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance, and silence. Through a series of letters spanning nearly thirty years, first from Celie to God, then from the sisters to each other, the novel draws readers into a rich and memorable portrayal of Black women—their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery.

Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, The Color Purple breaks the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, and carries readers on an epic and spirit-affirming journey toward transformation, redemption, and love.

“My go-to comfort novel is The Color Purple, by Alice Walker. Even though it touches on difficult subject matter like child abuse and forced marriage, this story believes that human kindness, courage and love can defeat any challenge. Its big, beautiful happy ending is heartfelt and hard-won. Every single time I read this book, I walk away as a slightly better person than I was when I picked it up.” Tayari Jones, The New York Times

Buy or borrow the book!

Book description and reviews excerpted from Inklings Bookshop website.

10 Plus Years of UUCY Book Club Selections

2024

January 2024 – The Bees by Laline Paull. Fiction.