I read it as a teen and have no problem with my children reading it when they are. We talk about the origin of the librarys ebooks and an important book everyone should read. The color purple banned books week pictures cbs news. A reference guide to book censorship in schools and public libraries by herbert n. Having first seen the film on a flight to vancouver, i knew this would be a good story but i was unnerved by the epistolary approach, the dialect and the first person pov.
The color purple by alice walker has been banned in schools all over the country since 1984, due to its graphic sexual content and situations of violence and abuse. Granted its been awhile, but ive both read the book and watched the movie. The color purple was banned in school across the united states. It is 17th on the american library associations list of most frequently challenged or banned books. Commonly cited justifications for banning the book include.
In the first few letters, celie tells god that she has been raped by her father and that she is pregnant for the second time with his child. The ban began in 1984 in a california high school and continued to be banned in the state in the following year. List of books and articles about banned books online. While the the color purple by alice walker does contain the objectionable content mentioned prior, it should not be banned because objectionable content found in the book is accessible through the internet and social media, one persons complaint should not determine anothers choice, and high school students should be mature enough to. The pulitzer prize winning 1983 novel is told in the form of diary entries and correspondence letters over a 30year period, following celie johnson as she struggles through life. The color purple is a wonderful book, on of my favorites, that deals with some tough issues.
The list of american high schools that banned this book is impressive. It is basically the struggle for one womans independence. The ban on this book reminds me of the ban on judy blumes are you there god, its me, margaret. The american library association list many occasions when this novel has been banned with the most recent being in morgantown, north carolina in 2008. I can certainly see how this book made such an impact by its discussion of painful topics and its feminist messages, but it was mainly the second half that brought this book down to its 3 starrating. This is our 9th grade english project on the banned book titled the color purple, written by alice walker. Todays selection to celebrate banned books week is the color purple by alice walker. The brunswick county school board voted 32 not to remove the color purple after a formal complaint about its content by a member of the county government. The color purple is a 1982 epistolary novel by american author alice walker which won the 1983 pulitzer prize for fiction and the national book award for fiction. The book was also removed from the shelves of the newport news, virginia school library in 1986 because of its profanity and sexual references.
The color purple by alice walker is a very controversial novel, which many people found to be very offensive. Indeed, one literary criticism, lettered bodies and corporeal texts in the color purple says. This book was probably banned the most for its graphic sexuality. In a letter, ncac and partner organizations argued that removing the book would have an adverse effect on students education.
The color purple and the toppling of american gods pen. Texas prisons ban the color purple and book about jackie. Wolf baldassarro banned books, banned books awareness and reading for knowledge, censorship, social change 25 written in 1982 by alice walker, the color purple tells the story of black life during the 1930s in the southern united states from a females. Sure, it gets mentioned here and there, but if youre hoping this will be a book about all things purple in the world, youre probably better off checking out the classic childrens book, purple this novel features a bit more than pictures of grapes, eggplants, and that weird mcdonalds. The color purple is one of the most banned books in americaa book that challenges what we the white we believe is good, moral, godly, humanand it is because celie looks in the face of what shes been ordered to worship, and not only decides after nearly a lifetime of abuse to fight, but does so by means of uplifting the love of. The color purple hit me, a native georgian like walker, but on the other side of the proverbial fence as someone who grew up indoctrinated in the ideology of whiteness, with a palpable fear that the book inspires in my kind. Both works present a negative portrait, proclaim some. October 2, 2012 katie words for worms banned books, classics, historical fiction, womens studies 20 howdy, worms. The color purple has been challenged multiple times since it published, including most recently in 2017. Why was the book the color purple by alice walker banned. It was later adapted into a film and musical of the same name taking place mostly in rural georgia, the story focuses on the life of africanamerican women in the southern united states in the 1930s, addressing numerous issues.
The book has also been banned in many different places. The book the color purple has been banned at northwest high school in high point, n. Texas prisons ban the color purple and monty python but. Monty pythons the big red book is prohibited for nudity and the 2005 bestseller freakonomics, an. The report says there are six criteria for determining whether a book should be banned. The very form of the color purple produces an analogue to the female bodywithin the text, as both are continually fragmented and remembered. I mainly rebutted the provided arguments against the books content by providing examples of widely. The color purple has been banned for a variety of reasons.
Leading up to banned books week 2012, ala will highlight one book from its new timeline of banned and challenged books each day. The american library associations annual banned books week sept. On the surface, the dissension has centered on the image of black people in media. Texas prisons ban the color purple and book about jackie robinson but not mein kampf. But the popup edition of a charlie brown christmas is prohibited could hide contraband inside it, as is the color purple, the 1983 novel that won the pulitzer prize and the national. While the color purple contains a lot of controversial content, its necessary to the story and is what makes the book so real and unique. This book is a favorite book to have censored because of the content of the book. Books including the color purple, freakonomics and monty pythons big red book are banned in texas state prisons but adolf hitlers mein kampf and. The department has banned 10,073 books from state jails and prisons, including alice walkers pulitzer prizewinning the color purple and the. Why was the book the color purple by alice walker banned in the us. Some of the many themes walker explored throughout the color purple were sexuality, abuse, incest, and racism. A recent report describes the restrictions as arbitrary and opaque. In 1984, the color purple was challenged as appropriate reading for oakland, ca high school honors classes due to the works sexual and social explicitness and its troubling ideas about.
Where has the book the color purple been banned answers. The color purple isnt actually about the color purple. In celebration of banned books week, politics and prose bookstore tips its cap to the books that offended, outraged, and. People tried to ban it, but it wasnt banned in the us. Written in 1982 by alice walker, the color purple tells the story of black life during the 1930s in the southern united states from a females perspective. Alice walker, the color purple the banned books project. The color purple celie book author literary criticism png clipart. It has also been challenged in oakland, california. Despite the numerous attempts to ban the color purple, it continues to find its way onto the shelves of interested readers. Though the book will remain, the board is considering revising its policies to tighten access to books like the color purple. This was an assignment about whether the color purple should be banned from our school district. The color purple is truly an amazing book and one i wish i could give double the 5 stars to. Though our selections make great kindling, we assure you theyre much more enjoyable when read.
Leading up to banned books week 2012, ala will highlight one book. The color purple, the novel and the film, have both been the subject of intense opposition since the arrival of alice walkers book in 1982 and the release of steven spielbergs film in december 1985. The color purple, the hate u give and american sign language textbooks have all been censored in u. The color purple is a powerful book with an amazing cast of strong female characters, but in my opinion, it was 100 pages too short. No ban on the color purple in brunswick county schools. Get an answer for why was the book the color purple banned. What was done to allow the book the color purple not to be banned. Book summary alice walkers the color purple weaves an intricate mosaic of women joined by their love for each other, the men who abuse them, and the children they care for.