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Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read.

The Color Purple

by Alice Walker

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Call Number: Foley General Collection PS3573.A425 C6 2003; Foley General Collection PS3573.A425 C6 1982

ISBN: 9780156028356

Publication Date: 1982

A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick; Winner of the Pulitzer Prize; Winner of the National Book Award.

Published to unprecedented acclaim, The Color Purple established Alice Walker as a major voice in modern fiction. This is the story of two sisters--one a missionary in Africa and the other a child wife living in the South--who sustain their loyalty to and trust in each other across time, distance, and silence. Beautifully imagined and deeply compassionate, this classic novel of American literature is rich with passion, pain, inspiration, and an indomitable love of life.

"Intense emotional impact . . . Indelibly affecting . . . Alice Walker is a lavishly gifted writer." --New York Times Book Review

"Places Walker in the company of Faulkner." --The Nation

"Superb . . . A work to stand beside literature of any time and place." --San Francisco Chronicle

"A novel of permanent importance." -- Peter S. Prescott, Newsweek

Why was this book challenged?

Reasons: Racial Content, Sexual Content

Accordi ng to the ACLU of Massachusetts, The Color Purple by Alice Walker has been challenged frequently and banned over the years for its alleged "sexual and racial content."
See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information about why books that address issues of racism are being targeted for censorship.
Read review excerpts, responses to challenges of this book, and more on Book Résumés.

Last Updated: Sep 30, 2025 4:22 PM
URL: https://researchguides.gonzaga.edu/BannedBooksWeek
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Subjects: UASC Exhibits

Tags: Banned, Banned Books, Banned Books Week, Censorship, Challenged Books, Intellectual Freedom

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