O Cúmulo Do Machismo

Have you ever thought about the Cumulus of Masculinity? Well, if you read this book, you will arrive at a formula more or less like this: It is a husband mistreating his wife with such a degree of brutality that she and his mistress become better friends and both choose to see him from behind, going crazy together!...

As a corollary of this extreme misogyny, the only woman in such a man's life becomes a female ghost, with whom he flirts occasionally, for some relaxed dance steps! Possibly, in a fantastic attempt at self-forgetting!

\\n  \\"Everything want to be loved. Us sing and dance and holler, just trying to be loved.\\"\\n


Love is a universal longing that transcends all boundaries. Irrespective of color, race, language, and appearance, everything in this world desires to be loved. It is an innate human need, and yet, we often find ourselves in a state of contradiction. We yearn for love, but we are not always willing to give it freely to others.

If only we could truly understand this one simple thing, the world would be a far better place. Imagine a world where everyone showed kindness, compassion, and love to one another, without any prejudice or discrimination. We would see more smiles, hear more laughter, and experience more joy.

However, achieving this utopian vision requires a change in our hearts and minds. We need to let go of our selfishness and open ourselves up to the possibility of loving and being loved. It may not be easy, but it is definitely worth the effort. Because in the end, love is what truly matters.

I give this book 5 stars to spite the myopic David Gilmours and the V.S. Naipauls of the world who think books written by women are irrelevant.

I give this 5 stars to make up for the many 1/2/3 star ratings it may receive simply because of Alice Walker's forthright, honest portrayal of unpleasant truths that are often conveniently shoved under the carpet so as not to disturb the carefully preserved but brittle structure of dogma and century-old misconceptions.

And I award this 5 stars, symbolically on Banned Books Week as an apology for all the cowardly sentiments of the ones who misuse their power by banning books, thereby shutting out many powerful voices which demand and need to be heard.

In my eyes, an author's merit lies not only in their sense of aesthetic beauty, but also in the scope and reach of their worldviews which must reflect in their craft.

Alice Walker's is the voice of one such African American writer that recounts a story which not only breaches the boundaries of an issue like emancipation of women but tries to detect a common pattern in problems plaguing civilizations across continents. She gives us one horrifying glimpse after another into the lives of women ravaged by unspeakable brutalities like rape and abuse, lives searching for meaning and connection and seeking out that elusive ray of hope amidst the darkness of despair.

And by the end of the narrative, she brings to light with great sensitivity, that misogyny, sexism and blind patriarchal prejudices are as rampantly in vogue in the urban, upscale sphere of American cities as they are in the intractable, untameable African landscapes.

Celie and Nettie. Shug Avery, Sofia and Mary Agnes. Tashi and Olivia.

All these are but different names and many facets of the same disturbing reality.

If the lives of Celie and Nettie are torn apart by sexual abuse and humiliation from childhood, then Tashi and other unnamed young African girls of the Olinka tribe are victims of genital mutilation and other forms of psychological and physical torture.

If the men of African American families dehumanize the female members to the point of treating them as mere care-givers and sex slaves, then the objectification of African women by the men of their families is no less appalling. And contrary to accepted beliefs, white families in America are just as easily susceptible to misogyny as the African American families are.

But Alice Walker doesn't only stop at opening our eyes to the uncivilized aspects of our so-called civilized world, but also shows us how knowledge of the world and people at large, self-awareness and education can help exorcize such social evils, how it is never too late to gain a fresh perspective, start anew and how empowerment of women eventually empowers society.

Dear David Gilmour, if I were a professor of English literature I'd have taught Alice Walker to my students without a shred of hesitation, because here's an author who may not possess the trademark sophistication of Virginia Woolf's lyrical prose but who, nonetheless, fearlessly broaches subjects many masters and mistresses of the craft may balk at dealing with.

Alice Walker: 5 | David Gilmour: 0

Alice Walker's work is a powerful testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit. Her vivid descriptions and complex characters draw the reader in and make them care deeply about their fates. Through her writing, she challenges us to look at the world around us with a critical eye and to question the status quo.

We need more voices like Alice Walker's in the world today, voices that are unafraid to speak truth to power and to shine a light on the hidden corners of society. By awarding her book 5 stars, I am not only expressing my admiration for her work but also sending a message to those who would try to silence her and other writers like her.

We must continue to support and celebrate the work of great authors like Alice Walker, and we must never forget the importance of literature in shaping our understanding of the world and ourselves.

The story told in this book encompasses several themes, each of which offers a possible key to reading. The story of the protagonist, Celie, takes place in the deep south of the United States, in a time frame that, more or less, goes from the end of the 1800s to the 1940s.

However, it is reductive to identify a single protagonist; in fact, Celie's story intertwines with that of many other characters, each of whom plays an essential role in the economy of the novel.

Undoubtedly, it is a story of women who, thanks to the support and help of other women, learn to respect themselves.

\\n  But look at you. You're black, you're poor, you're ugly and you're a woman. To hell, he said, you're nothing and nobody, you.\\n

These are the words with which Mr., Celie's husband (whom the woman doesn't even know the name of), reacts to his wife's decision to leave him. But Celie, thanks to the support and love of Shug, Albert's (this is the name of Mr.) lover, learns to walk on her own legs.

For Celie, it is a long and by no means easy path of redemption and emancipation: her life has never been easy and she quickly learns that the only way to survive is submission, the absence of any emotion. She manages to tolerate first the abuses of her father and then those of her husband. Living with Sofia (the independent wife of Harpo, Mr.'s eldest son) and then the relationship with Shug make her know different ways of being a woman and give her the courage to rebel.

It is a story about love (between a man and a woman or between a woman and a woman, it doesn't matter to the protagonists) that can overcome social conventions, betrayals and personal differences. Love creates a deep bond between people: we separate but then, one way or another, we find each other again.

It is naturally a story about cultural barriers and racial discrimination, not only between whites and blacks (as one would naturally imagine) but also between civilized blacks in the United States and Africans (who do not recognize in the former their brothers sold as slaves by other blacks), between Native Americans and all others (white or black, it makes no difference).

Above all, it is a story about the difficult search for God within ourselves and in all the things that surround us. Shug tells Celie that God is in all the things that surround us and that it is around us that we must find him, not in church where an old man with a white beard lives, made in the image and likeness of whites. We must take the man out of our eyes to see everything else: the ears of wheat, the purple color, the wildflowers.

\\n  Most people think that [God] must have the likeness of something or someone – of the leafy tree or of Christ – we, instead, don't. And, free from the problem of God's likeness, we feel more free. \\n

It is a story about the meaning of life, as one of the protagonists says:

\\n  I started to ask myself why we need love. Why we suffer. Why we are black. Why we are men and women. Where children really come from. And it didn't take me long to realize that I knew practically nothing. And that asking why we are black or men or women or bushes is of no use, if we don't also ask why we are on this earth.
And what did you conclude, I asked him.
That we are here to ask ourselves questions, at least as far as I'm concerned. \\n

My God, what a book. It is a narrative built upon strong women and mostly about these women.

The Color Purple presents us with Celie, a black woman who was severely abused and writes letters to God in the hope of getting a response, of having some explanation for so much suffering and periodically questioning why she was "chosen" to suffer. It is impossible not to feel a huge affection and concern for Celie. After all, the author managed to masterfully express what it truly means to be the loneliness of a black woman. In just a few pages, we read about feminism, misogyny, representativeness (lesbian), racism, and many other issues that are stigmas and need, more and more, space. And someone with a voice, willing to change our reality and make the world a more human place.

Another point that I found simply brilliant: having so many mistakes in Portuguese in the letters, making it clear that education was also scarce, especially for blacks. Seriously, WHAT a story. WHAT a narrative.

A book written in the 80s and still so relevant in our society is automatically a necessary book.

Well, that was truly amazing.

I completely adore this piece of work.

From the moment I started reading, I was captivated by the rich and detailed writing.

The author has a remarkable ability to bring the story to life through their words.

But what really stood out for me was the amazingly realised character development.

The characters felt so real and three-dimensional, with their own unique personalities, motives, and flaws.

As I read on, I found myself becoming more and more invested in their lives and rooting for them to succeed.

It was just an absolute joy to read this and I can't wait to see what else the author has in store.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good story with great writing and well-developed characters.

It's definitely a must-read.

The Color Purple is a truly remarkable and deeply moving novel. From the very first page, it hits you with a powerful and devastating impact. I embarked on this reading journey with only a basic understanding of what it was about. I knew it had a person of color as the main character, and I had heard that it delved into important themes such as women's rights and abuse. I was aware that it was highly regarded as a great book, but nothing could have prepared me for the emotional rollercoaster that awaited.

The life of the main character is one of utter misery and hardship. It's almost unfathomable how she manages to endure and make it through to a certain point. I often found myself thinking that if I were in her shoes, I probably wouldn't have had the strength or the will to persevere for long.

The book is not an easy read. The plot is complex and at times, quite difficult to stomach. The writing style, while beautiful in its own way, is not always light and motivating. However, it is precisely in the midst of this darkness that I discovered glimmers of hope and even moments of happiness.

As I reached the final chapters, I was completely won over by the story. I came to love this book for its ability to make me feel so deeply, to open my eyes to the harsh realities of life, and to show me that even in the darkest of times, there is always a possibility of finding love, hope, and redemption.

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.” This quote sums up the essence of the book perfectly. It reminds us to pay attention to the beauty and the significance that surrounds us, even in the most unlikely of places.

4.5/5 stars

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Sometimes it feels good to read a book quietly. I can't pick up the book, there's nothing, what's the gain in just talking so much. But it has become a habit, I can't help but say it.

Just like this book. What can I say about it? There are some pages in this book where the depth and power of an entire story lies in just one page. After many days, I read such a powerful novel that it took my breath away. No, it's not out of this worry or curiosity, but out of that impact. As I read, it feels like no matter how much light there is, the surroundings are dark. And sometimes it feels like I won alone against everyone. After finishing it, it feels like life isn't so bad after all. It's difficult to say something about such a book. All the words that have accumulated want to come out together. In a jumble, everything goes inside until the end.

Let's stay inside that, and instead talk about some of the technical aspects of the book. The novel is written in letters. The letters at the beginning are written by Celie addressed to her dear God. Celie is a slightly educated girl. She has been a victim of sexual abuse since childhood. Unable to tell anyone about her dark life, Celie starts writing letters to God. The regionalism, spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or regional sentence structures in the letters help to bring Celie to life completely. Later, some letters fall into Celie's hands, and those are written by her younger sister Nettie. After finding her younger sister's letters, Celie starts writing letters to her dearest sister instead of her dear God. Celie's letters tell the story of the lives of black people living in the US, especially women, whose situation was even worse. And in Nettie's letters, the search for the lives of the marginalized black people in Africa is also found. Along with that, the search for colonial aggression is also found. It has also emerged that there is no such thing as a sense of superiority between African Americans and African natives just because they are black. Besides, the search for those brave girls who have fought for themselves against everyone without accepting their bad situation and have created their own position is also found. The search for a group of people who are a mixture of good and bad is also found. It can be seen from the end of the novel, which has a long time span, that World War II is approaching. From there, the time period of the entire novel can be understood.

Alice Walker has shown her proficiency in character portrayal. She was skilled in transitioning from one time to another. In some cases, the variety of the subject matter, and in some cases, the limitations of the subject matter have given the novel the breadth of life. Perhaps this is what a novel should be like, perhaps these are the characteristics of a novel, perhaps without discussing some positive aspects (it doesn't seem that important), I'm finishing it, but still, I can't give it less than five stars.

{ Based on this book by Stephen Spielberg, there is a movie of the same name. Some small changes have been made from the original story of the book. There were some major changes at the end. But still, the movie is quite good. Maybe if it wasn't constantly compared to the book, it could have been even better.}

One of the most frequently banned or challenged books,

my first reading of this classic was an absolute delight and exceeded my expectations.

Formatted in epistolary style, it is truly remarkable how well this approach works for this particular book.

Alice Walker's writing is characterized by a strong and descriptive voice that vividly brings the story to life.

She peppers the book with rich symbolism and imagery, adding depth and layers to the narrative.

While some have called it a feminist fable, the story has a universal appeal as it chronicles the strength and triumph of the human spirit.

It is a powerful and moving tale that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

-Lisanne E.

"Who you think you is? he say. You can't curse nobody. Look at you. You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman. Goddam, he say, you nothing at all."

This powerful statement sets the stage for the story of Celie, a character who defies all odds. Long before the #metoo movement, Celie and her sisters in Alice Walker's novel resist the violence and power of the men around them.

Celie's story is one of rape, loss, and forced marriage. Her loneliness leads her to write letters to God, whom she imagines as an older, white man. But her world changes when she meets Shug and Sofia, two women who fight for their right to pride and happiness.

In Shug and Sofia, Celie sees the true power of women, symbolized by the color purple. The discovery that her sister Nettie is alive allows Celie to drop the patriarchal god figure and share her thoughts with someone she loves.

The novel explores difficult political topics such as misogyny, racism, and domestic violence, but it also emphasizes the importance of finding spiritual support within the human heart.

Despite the harsh circumstances of life in the Deep South, the book is about the joy of living. Celie's response to the hatred of the man she is leaving shows her strength and determination.

Alice Walker's message is positive: gender roles are not fixed, and both men and women can change for the better. This novel is a powerful hymn to women across the world and is highly recommended.

Second review (2024): I re-read this alongside my Nerdy Circle partner Honorée Fanonne Jeffers after I watched the new musical adaptation. It was a truly enriching experience. I found that reading this book a second time deepened my appreciation and love for it. Its significance extends far beyond the film and theatre adaptations. It powerfully explores feminism and the patriarchy, and delves into how people can change and evolve. Honorée Jeffers' words during our conversations about the book, that "The Color Purple offers us a possibility of utopia", have really stuck with me. It makes me see the book in an even more profound light.

First review (2018): If you're like me, your familiarity with The Color Purple might be limited to the 1985 film adaptation. I had seen the film numerous times and never really felt the urge to read the original source material. However, after re-watching the film for the first time in about 10 years, I suddenly had a strong desire to read the novel. And I'm so glad I did. The book is excellent. I listened to the audiobook version read by the author Alice Walker herself. As I was listening, I couldn't help but constantly compare and contrast what I remembered from the film. The film does stay relatively close to the book, but there are definitely some storylines that the book explores in much more detail. The women in The Color Purple are incredibly strong. They endure sexual and verbal abuse, misogyny, and racism with remarkable resilience. If you're a big fan of the film, I highly recommend that you read the book. It will give you a whole new perspective on this powerful story.

The Color Purple is a remarkable book that features a cast of strong female characters. However, in my view, it falls short by being approximately 100 pages too brief. The first half of the book is truly wonderful. We are introduced to Celie, Shug Avery, Sofia, and Mary Agnes (Squeak), and we witness their journey of finding the strength to stand up for themselves. As black women, they face anger and protest as they fight against sexism and male oppression in their society. Yet, they support each other and strive to improve their lives. Alice Walker masterfully weaves together timeless feminist ideas with themes such as LGBTQ-culture, the struggle with domestic abuse, and female sexuality. One of the running topics in the book is Celie's relationship with God, who is initially her only confidant. Through an important conversation with Shug, the author reveals how racism and sexism have influenced Celie's perception of God and the importance of searching for God within oneself.

“I believe God is everything, say Shug. Everything that is or ever will be. And when you can feel that, and be happy to feel that, you’ve found him.”

The second half of the book, unfortunately, takes a downward turn for me. When Nettie's letters from Africa take over and the narrative is divided between Celie and Nettie, the story loses its energy and realness. The lack of a sense of time in the letters and the uncertainty of whether the sisters receive each other's messages make it feel as if they are writing to themselves. The sudden revelation that approximately 20 years have passed at the end of the book comes as a shock. Additionally, apart from the interesting adventure described in the letters, the story is told at an incredibly slow pace and without vigor. Walker's attempt to make numerous statements about oppression, sexism, and racism drowns out Celie's storyline, resulting in a second half that lacks the power of the first.

Walker wants to make so many statements that Celie’s storyline gets drowned under the author’s messages about oppression, sexism, and racism.

Despite these shortcomings, I am still a great fan of the female characters in this novel and their journey of finding love and happiness. The story contains excellent messages about feminism, faith, the power of sisterhood, fighting abuse, and learning to stand up for oneself. Overall, I find The Color Purple to be a very powerful book, although I believe the author overdid herself in the second half. I rate this book 3 stars.

“Man corrupts everything, say Shug. He on your box of grits, in your head, and all over the radio. He try to make you think he everywhere. Soon as you think he everywhere, you think he God. But he ain’t. Whenever you trying to pray, and man plop himself on the other end of it, tell him to go lost, say Shug. Conjure up flowers, wind, water, a big rock.
But this hard work, let me tell you. Man been there so long, he don't want to budge. He threaten lighting, floods and earthquakes. Us fight. I hardly pray at all. Every time I conjure up a rock, I throw it.

Amen.