The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The American Library Association published the list of the Top Ten Most Banned Books of 2009 in preparation for Banned Book Week which is September 25-October 2nd this year. The Color Purple by Alice Walker is once again on that list. Can you imagine that people are still trying to ban students from reading this book over 27 years after it was published?  But actually most of the books on the list were published decades ago.  I swear that act of attempting a ban on a book increases interest in the book.  "There is nothing like a shovelful of dirt to encourage literacy." (Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin)

So I finally read The Color Purple.  Sometimes I am embarrassed when I consider the books I haven't read.  Up until a week ago this book was on that list.  As I started reading it I realized that I basically didn't know anything about the book other than it was about a black family and incest occurred. Here's a quick summary about the book:   "The Color Purple by Alice Walker, published in 1982. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983. A feminist novel about an abused and uneducated black woman's struggle for empowerment, the novel was praised for the depth of its female characters and for its eloquent use of black English vernacular." -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

 I don't need to tell you to read it.  If you haven't read it you know you should. It is not just a fabulous book it is an important book. It has an important message for all people about the transformative power of love and friendship in overcoming cruelty and despair. It is a powerful statement about the power we have within us to better our lives.

Read a banned book this week. 

"Think for yourself and let others do the same."