WRP 4: United States

World Reading Project, Book #4

United States

The Color Purple, by Alice Walker , 1982

What a beautiful, beautiful book. I loved the spirituality of the book and connection to nature. Shug's explanation of God being everything and feeling that connection was so beautiful. Coming into this book I knew it was a classic of African American literature, but I'd never heard that it was a queer book. It reminded me of reading Proust, and all of a sudden it's gay! I guess I purposefully avoid learning a lot about books before I read them, but I still wonder how it is that that was filtered out of all mentions I'd heard. This book made me cry, and also feel so uplifted, hopeful, and grateful for my loved ones. There were so many beautiful quotes. I'm copying an extended quote below. 

"She say, My first step from the old white man was trees. Then air. Then birds. Then other people. But one day when I was sitting quiet and feeling like a motherless child, which I was, it come to me: that feeling of being part of everything, not separate at all. I knew that if I cut a tree, my arm would bleed. And I laughed and I cried and I run all around the house. I knew just what it was. In fact, when it happen, you can't miss it. It sort of like you know what, she say, grinning and rubbing high up on my thigh.

Shug! I say.

Oh, she say. God love all them feelings. That's some of the best stuff God did. And when you know God loves 'em you enjoys 'em a lot more. You can just relax, go with everything that's going, and praise God by liking what you like.

God don't think it dirty? I ast.

Naw, she say. God made it. Listen, God love everything you love- and a mess of stuff you don't. But more than anything else, God love admiration.

You saying God vain? I ast.

Naw, she say. Not vain, just wanting to share a good thing. I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.

What it do when it pissed off? I ast.

Oh, it make something else. People think pleasing God is all God care about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back."