The Color Purple

I made the mistake of putting this on an optional student reading list without reading it. Then I read the first page: rape, incest, and some non-high-school-appropriate language right away. A few chapters in we have a lesbian sexual awakening and a few semi-graphic sex scenes. Whoops! I took it off immediately and had a student who had selected it choose something else.

Which isn't to say this is a bad book. In fact, I really enjoyed it. Celie's voice is so strong and unique and powerful (uneducated or not) and her journey of self-discovery is so uplifting that it's still a great story. It's just not a high school appropriate book--or at least not one I feel comfortable teaching.

Still, it didn't win the Pulitzer for nothing. Walker's themes of individuality and community, of forgiveness and healing, are all wrapped together so well that I really found myself enjoying it. Her writing is undeniably powerful, and her characters are likable and recognizable, even though the cultures discussed (both African and African American) are very different from my own. I guess if you can handle the more graphic bits, the payoff is worthwhile.