Summary
The revolutionary novel, The Color Purple, written by Alice Walker, is a story through the life of African American teenage girl, Celie, who writes to God about the struggles she tackles throughout her journey to self-discovery. The letters show the different forms of abuse Celie envelopes and what impacts they have on her mindset about life. Published in 1982, the classic novel won a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award the following year.
About the Author
Alice Malsenior Walker, born on February 9th, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia is a highly acclaimed American novelist and poet. Her most famous works include: The Third Life of Grange Copeland(1970), Meridian (1976), and The Color Purple(1982). Her works mostly discuss the importance of attention to African American culture in late American society, particularly on women. The civil rights activist is still alive today living in northern California, writing inspirational stories to continue her legacy of unbeatable achievement.
Why was it banned? 
Banned from just two years after publication, The Color Purple is a raw storytelling novel which raised awareness for people that get abused. The rapidly spread book gained attention fast and was quickly added to the assignments of high school English classes. Parents were quickly aware of what the book was discussing and the graphic details it enlisted. They said it was not for their age group- too violent – too much sexual content. Although the book’s original ban was because of its religious personification of God, the parents mostly argued about the ‘unnecessary’ sexual scenes Celie induced throughout the novel. The most recent ban of the book was in 2022, when The Protect Nebraska Children Coalition executed a list of books they thought were unfit in both elementary and high school students. The list included more than thirty titles, including: Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Pink Is for Boys, by Robb Pearlman, and The Color Purple, by Alice Walker.
For more information about the bans and challenges made, read here.
