The year after it was published, it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the National Book Award.
Set in rural Georgia at the turn of the last century, Alice Walker’s epic novel weaves the heartbreaking and hopeful tale of Celie, an uneducated Black teen fighting for her dignity and freedom while leaning on the sisterhood of the women who surround her. The Color Purple bravely and honestly addresses issues like sexual abuse, domestic abuse and Black women’s struggles and resilience. The year after it was published, it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the National Book Award. Three years later, the story was made into a movie directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, both of whom garnered Oscar nominations for their portrayals.