101 Books to Read Before You Die discussion

This starts with "Dear Nettie, I don't write to God no more, I write to you."

I first read this in the mid-80s and again in the last decade. I found it a powerful book both times. I hope people enjoy this one.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This was my short review back in 2013!!

This is truly a book which deservedly must be read. Cleverly told through a series of letters, the book is a deep metaphoric retelling of African-American history. Particularily tragic and poignant are the evils perpetrated on each other compounded by the tragedy of white dominance. Juxtaposition this against the redemptive power of love and the strength of the human spirit.

A powerful and moving experience!

This was my first time reading this book. I finished it last night and I loved it. It's starts out very brutal with Celie getting raped and it doesn't get any better for her from there being forced to marry a man who rapes and beats her. She's separated from her children and her sister and is told her sister is dead. I like her relationship with Shug. Shug is the one who starts to bring her around to what is going on and what she can do about it to change her life. Definitely glad we read this one, I really enjoyed it.

I just finished this. So much to mentally unpack! Walker has a way with words and storytelling, for sure! Very poignant characters, all of them with depth and growth (instead of just a couple of deep characters and a host of shallow ones) and development of not only white vs. black mentalities, but also that of Africans vs. African American, rich vs. poor, male vs. female, etc. She packs a lot of thoughts into a few pages, told in a very straightforward manner.

Finally finished this one- I had a hard time with this one in parts. I enjoyed it initially, then went to confusing, boring, and equally brilliant. Maybe I just never connected to this story, and hence my lower rating. Shug Avery was my favorite character by far, and I appreciated her teaching Celie how to stand up for herself. I was frustrated with the blanks and I'm surprised no one has mentioned the reasoning behind that above. I also was equally frustrated with the telegram (THIS was brilliant) but then it was ruined by the ending when she shows up. Also, this book was tagged as YA at my library- would you consider this YA?

My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

YA? No, I didn't know it was marketed that way? Maybe because it's sometimes taught in high schools now? But that doesn't mean anything... the Odyssey can be taught in high school and no one is claiming that's YA!

haha- yes, I found it strange... I already returned it to the library, otherwise I would've posted a picture.

Maybe because she's so young when the story starts?

Would not consider this YA. Would not want to teach those sex scenes to a co-ed high school group.