Review: The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

I broke the one rule of being a bookworm. I watched the film first.

And let me tell you; it's amazing! I mean it has Oprah and Whoopi Goldberg in it for christs' sakes! However, we're not here to discuss the film, we're here for Alice Walkers masterpiece. And why is it being reviewed by The Perks of Being a Lesbian? Well, it's protagonist features a lesbian. It's unclear what her identity is, many have her pegged as bisexual, but lines such as "men look like frogs to me. No matter how you kiss 'em, as far I'm concern, frogs is what they stay," make it clear to me that she was a lesbian, we see her discover this part of herself in the novel, and even though I hadn't admitted it officially yet, I saw a lot of myself in this part of Celie's life. For that reason, this novel holds a special place in my heart. It might not be my favourite, the writing takes some getting used to, it's a definite read for any queer woman, it might take you back to young and naive days when you first kissed a girl when you read that beautifully shy scene where Celie and Shug first kiss.

The movie is a dissappointment when it comes to their relationship, with Spielberg later saying he was "shy about it." and the reason he had to "soften" their sexual relationship and scenes was due to not feeling "we could get a [PG-13] rating." It's a shame, seeing as a lot of people haven't read the book, are a little shocked when I talk about Celie being a queer figure. Oh well. That's why I'm reccomending it now I guess.

I should stress that isn't what this book is about. It's about a young African-American girl growing up, being abused by her father and then her husband, and finding herself and her strength. It's dramatic, heart-wrenching and filled horror for what a lot of women of colour went through in the 1910-1940s.


Read more on Spielberg:
https://www.advocate.com/news/daily-news/2011/12/05/steven-spielberg-says-he-softened-lesbian-sex-color-purple