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Alice Walker's Impact on Society: A Legacy of Activism and Literary Excellence
Author: Dr. Evelyn Reed, Professor of African American Literature and Women's Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Reed has published extensively on the works of Alice Walker and their socio-political impact, including her seminal work, The Power of the Woman's Voice: Alice Walker and the Feminist Canon.
Publisher: Sage Publications – A leading academic publisher with a strong track record in social sciences and humanities, specializing in critical studies of literature and social justice issues.
Editor: Professor Charles Taylor, Associate Professor of English at Stanford University, specializing in 20th and 21st-century American literature and its social contexts.
Keywords: Alice Walker impact on society, Alice Walker legacy, Alice Walker feminism, Alice Walker activism, The Color Purple impact, Alice Walker social justice, Alice Walker literary contributions, Alice Walker's influence, African American literature, feminist literature.
Summary: This guide explores the profound and multifaceted impact of Alice Walker on society. It examines her literary contributions, particularly The Color Purple, and analyzes how her work has shaped discussions on race, gender, sexuality, and class. The guide also investigates Walker's activism and her enduring influence on social movements advocating for women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and racial justice. It highlights both the positive and challenging aspects of her legacy, acknowledging criticisms and controversies surrounding her work while emphasizing her lasting contributions to social progress.
1. Introduction: Understanding Alice Walker's Enduring Relevance
Alice Walker's impact on society extends far beyond the literary realm. Her work, particularly her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple, has ignited crucial conversations about race, gender, sexuality, and the complexities of human relationships. This impact stems not only from her powerful storytelling but also from her unwavering commitment to social justice and activism throughout her career. Analyzing Alice Walker's impact on society requires understanding her multifaceted contributions as a novelist, poet, essayist, and outspoken advocate for marginalized communities.
2. The Literary Impact: More Than Just The Color Purple
While The Color Purple undoubtedly catapulted Walker to international fame and remains her most recognized work, its impact is just a facet of her broader literary contributions. Her other novels, short stories, and poetry delve into the intricate experiences of Black women, exploring themes of trauma, resilience, spirituality, and the search for self-discovery. Her unique voice and stylistic choices have profoundly influenced generations of writers, particularly women of color. Analyzing Alice Walker's impact on society requires examining her entire body of work, appreciating its nuanced portrayal of marginalized perspectives.
3. Alice Walker and Feminism: A Complex Legacy
Alice Walker's feminism is often described as intersectional, acknowledging the interconnectedness of race, gender, and class oppression. However, her views have also been subject to critique and controversy. This section will explore these complexities, examining both the positive contributions and the areas where her perspective has been challenged. Understanding Alice Walker's impact on society necessitates a critical engagement with her feminist ideals and their implications.
4. Activism and Social Justice: A Voice for the Marginalized
Alice Walker's commitment to social justice is deeply interwoven with her literary work. She has been a vocal advocate for women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental protection, and anti-racism initiatives. Her activism has taken various forms, from supporting specific social movements to using her platform to raise awareness about critical issues. This section examines her activism and its influence on the broader societal landscape.
5. Critical Engagements and Controversies Surrounding Alice Walker's Work
It is crucial to acknowledge criticisms directed at Alice Walker's work and views. These criticisms, while sometimes harsh, offer valuable perspectives that enrich our understanding of her legacy. This section will explore some of these criticisms, fostering a more nuanced and balanced view of Alice Walker's impact on society. Understanding these critiques adds depth to a complete analysis of Alice Walker's impact on society.
6. Alice Walker's Enduring Influence on Contemporary Literature and Culture
The impact of Alice Walker's work continues to resonate in contemporary literature and culture. Her influence can be seen in the works of many contemporary writers, particularly those who focus on narratives of Black women and marginalized communities. This section examines this lasting influence and its implications for future generations.
7. Best Practices for Understanding Alice Walker's Impact
To fully appreciate Alice Walker's impact, one must engage critically with her entire body of work, understanding the historical context in which her writing emerged. This section will discuss best practices for critical analysis, promoting a deep and nuanced understanding.
8. Common Pitfalls in Interpreting Alice Walker's Work
Avoiding simplistic interpretations of Alice Walker's complex and multifaceted contributions is essential. This section highlights potential pitfalls in interpreting her work, encouraging a more thorough and critical approach.
9. Conclusion: A Legacy of Resilience and Resistance
Alice Walker's impact on society is undeniable. Her literary contributions, activism, and unwavering commitment to social justice have profoundly shaped our understanding of race, gender, and sexuality. While her work has been subject to critique and controversy, her enduring legacy serves as a powerful testament to the power of storytelling and the importance of speaking truth to power. Her impact on society will continue to be debated and studied for years to come.
FAQs:
1. What is Alice Walker's most famous work? Her most famous work is undoubtedly The Color Purple.
2. What awards has Alice Walker won? Alice Walker is best known for winning the Pulitzer Prize for The Color Purple. She has also received numerous other awards and honors for her literary and activist work.
3. What are the main themes explored in Alice Walker's work? Her works consistently explore themes of race, gender, sexuality, class, spirituality, and the resilience of the human spirit, particularly within the context of Black women's experiences.
4. How did The Color Purple impact society? The Color Purple brought crucial conversations about the experiences of Black women to the forefront, challenging dominant narratives and promoting a more inclusive understanding of identity.
5. What is Alice Walker's stance on feminism? Walker identifies as a feminist but advocates for an intersectional feminism that acknowledges the interconnectedness of race, gender, and class.
6. What is Alice Walker's role in social activism? Alice Walker is a prominent activist who advocates for social justice through her writing and public engagement in various movements.
7. How has Alice Walker's work influenced other writers? Her work has significantly influenced numerous writers, especially those focusing on the experiences of marginalized groups, particularly Black women.
8. What criticisms have been leveled against Alice Walker's work? Criticisms have been leveled at certain aspects of her work and views, particularly concerning her stances on feminism and specific political viewpoints.
9. Where can I find more information on Alice Walker's life and work? You can find detailed information through biographies, academic articles, and reputable websites dedicated to her life and work.
Related Articles:
1. "The Color Purple: A Critical Analysis": A detailed exploration of The Color Purple's themes, literary techniques, and cultural impact.
2. "Alice Walker and the Politics of Intersectionality": An analysis of Walker's feminist thought and her approach to intersectionality.
3. "Alice Walker's Activism: A Legacy of Social Justice": A look at Walker's various activist endeavors and their societal influence.
4. "The Evolution of Alice Walker's Literary Style": Traces the development of Walker's unique style across her different works.
5. "Alice Walker and the Representation of Black Women": Explores how Walker portrays Black women's experiences in her writing.
6. "The Spiritual Dimension in Alice Walker's Novels": Examines the role of spirituality and faith in Walker's narratives.
7. "Comparing Alice Walker's Novels to Contemporary Black Feminist Literature": A comparative study placing Walker's work within the broader context of contemporary Black feminist literature.
8. "Alice Walker and the Power of the Female Voice": Focuses on Walker's contribution to feminist literature and her celebration of female voices.
9. "Alice Walker's Impact on African American Literature": Discusses Walker's significant contributions to and influence on the development of African American literature.
alice walker impact on society: The Color Purple Alice Walker, 2011-09-20 The Pulitzer Prize– and National Book Award–winning novel is now a new, boldly reimagined film from producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, starring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Fantasia Barrino. A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick Celie has grown up poor in rural Georgia, despised by the society around her and abused by her own family. She strives to protect her sister, Nettie, from a similar fate, and while Nettie escapes to a new life as a missionary in Africa, Celie is left behind without her best friend and confidante, married off to an older suitor, and sentenced to a life alone with a harsh and brutal husband. In an attempt to transcend a life that often seems too much to bear, Celie begins writing letters directly to God. The letters, spanning 20 years, record a journey of self-discovery and empowerment guided by the light of a few strong women. She meets Shug Avery, her husband’s mistress and a jazz singer with a zest for life, and her stepson’s wife, Sofia, who challenges her to fight for independence. And though the many letters from Celie’s sister are hidden by her husband, Nettie’s unwavering support will prove to be the most breathtaking of all. The Color Purple has sold more than five million copies, inspired an Academy Award-nominated film starring Oprah Winfrey and directed by Steven Spielberg, and been adapted into a Tony-winning Broadway musical. Lauded as a literary masterpiece, this is the groundbreaking novel that placed Walker “in the company of Faulkner” (The Nation), and remains a wrenching—yet intensely uplifting—experience for new generations of readers. This ebook features a new introduction written by the author on the 25th anniversary of publication, and an illustrated biography of Alice Walker including rare photos from the author’s personal collection. The Color Purple is the 1st book in the Color Purple Collection, which also includes The Temple of My Familiar and Possessing the Secret of Joy. |
alice walker impact on society: Everyday Use Alice Walker, 1994 Presents the text of Alice Walker's story Everyday Use; contains background essays that provide insight into the story; and features a selection of critical response. Includes a chronology and an interview with the author. |
alice walker impact on society: In Search of The Color Purple Salamishah Tillet, 2021-01-12 Mixing cultural criticism, literary history, biography, and memoir, an exploration of Alice Walker’s critically acclaimed and controversial novel, The Color Purple Alice Walker made history in 1983 when she became the ï¬?rst black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for The Color Purple. Published in the Reagan era amid a severe backlash to civil rights, the Jazz Age novel tells the story of racial and gender inequality through the life of a 14-year-old girl from Georgia who is haunted by domestic and sexual violence. Prominent academic and activist Salamishah Tillet combines cultural criticism, history, and memoir to explore Walker’s epistolary novel and shows how it has influenced and been informed by the zeitgeist. The Color Purple received both praise and criticism upon publication, and the conversation it sparked around race and gender still continues today. It has been adapted for an Oscar-nominated ï¬?lm and a hit Broadway musical. Through archival research and interviews with Walker, Oprah Winfrey, and Quincy Jones (among others), Tillet studies Walker’s life and how themes of violence emerged in her earlier work. Reading The Color Purple at age 15 was a groundbreaking experience for Tillet. It continues to resonate with her—as a sexual violence survivor, as a teacher of the novel, and as an accomplished academic. Provocative and personal, In Search of The Color Purple is a bold work from an important public intellectual, and captures Alice Walker’s seminal role in rethinking sexuality, intersectional feminism, and racial and gender politics. |
alice walker impact on society: Alice Walker Evelyn C. White, 2004 Drawing on papers, letters, journals, and extensive interviews with Walker, her family, friends, and colleagues, and with leading American cultural figures including Gloria Steinem, Quincy Jones, and Oprah Winfrey, White assesses one of the most influential writers of modern time. |
alice walker impact on society: Alice Walker Nagueyalti Warren, 2013 Volume of literary criticism concerning the works of author Alice Walker. |
alice walker impact on society: Meridian Alice Walker, 2011-11-22 “A classic novel of both feminism and the Civil Rights movement” in 1960s Atlanta by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple (Ms.). As she approaches the end of her teen years, Meridian Hill has already married, divorced, and given birth to a son. She’s looking for a second chance, and at a small college outside Atlanta, Georgia, in the early 1960s, Meridian discovers the civil rights movement. So fully does the cause guide her life that she’s willing to sacrifice virtually anything to help transform the conditions of a people whose subjugation she shares. Meridian draws from Walker’s own experiences working alongside some of the heroes of the civil rights movement, and the novel stands as a shrewd and affecting document of the dissolution of the Jim Crow South. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Alice Walker including rare photos from the author’s personal collection. |
alice walker impact on society: The World Will Follow Joy Alice Walker, 2013-04-02 A poetry collection of “playful and crooning lyricism” from the National Book Award– and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple (Booklist). In this dazzling new collection, Alice Walker offers over sixty new poems to incite and nurture contemporary activists. Hailed as a “lavishly gifted writer,” Walker imbues her poetry with evocative images, fresh language, anger, forgiveness, and profound wisdom (The New York Times). Casting her eye toward history, politics, and nature, as well as to world figures such as Jimmy Carter, Gloria Steinem, and the Dalai Lama, she “distills struggles, crises, and tragedies down to bright, singing lessons in living with awareness and joy” (Booklist). By attentively chronicling the conditions of human life today, Walker shows, as ever, her deep compassion, profound spirituality, and necessary political commitments. The poems in The World Will Follow Joy remind us of our human capacity to come together and take action, even in our troubled political times. “Her spirituality, concern for human rights, and almost old-fashioned, determined joyousness run deep and her devoted readers will want to follow her as she turns ‘madness into flowers’” (Library Journal). |
alice walker impact on society: Gathering Blossoms Under Fire Alice Walker, 2022-04-12 From National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Alice Walker and edited by critic and writer Valerie Boyd, comes an unprecedented compilation of Walker’s fifty years of journals drawing an intimate portrait of her development over five decades as an artist, human rights and women’s activist, and intellectual. For the first time, the edited journals of Alice Walker are gathered together to reflect the complex, passionate, talented, and acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winner of The Color Purple. She intimately explores her thoughts and feeling as a woman, a writer, an African American, a wife, a daughter, a mother, a lover, a sister, a friend, a citizen of the world. In an unvarnished and singular voice, she explores an astonishing array of events: marching in Mississippi with other foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement, led by Martin Luther King, Jr.; her marriage to a Jewish lawyer, defying laws that barred interracial marriage in the 1960s South; an early miscarriage; writing her first novel; the trials and triumphs of the Women’s Movement; erotic encounters and enduring relationships; the ancestral visits that led her to write The Color Purple; winning the Pulizter Prize; being admired and maligned, sometimes in equal measure, for her work and her activism; and burying her mother. A powerful blend of Walker’s personal life with political events, this “revelation, a road map, and a gift to us all” (Tayari Jones, New York Times bestselling author of An American Marriage) offers rare insight into a literary legend. |
alice walker impact on society: We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting for Alice Walker, 2007-11-06 A New York Times bestseller in hardcover, Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker’s We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For was called “stunningly insightful” and “a book that will inspire hope” by Publishers Weekly. Drawing equally on Walker’s spiritual grounding and her progressive political convictions, each chapter concludes with a recommended meditation to teach us patience, compassion, and forgiveness. We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For takes on some of the greatest challenges of our times and in it Walker encourages readers to take faith in the fact that, despite the daunting predicaments we find ourselves in, we are uniquely prepared to create positive change. The hardcover edition of We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For included a national tour that saw standing-room–only crowds and standing ovations. Walker’s clear vision and calm meditative voice—truly “a light in darkness”—has struck a deep chord among a large and devoted readership. |
alice walker impact on society: The Color Purple Alice Walker, 2023-08-01 The inspiration for the new film adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical Alice Walker’s iconic modern classic, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award A powerful cultural touchstone of modern literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance, and silence. Through a series of letters spanning twenty years, first from Celie to God, then the sisters to each other despite the unknown, the novel draws readers into its rich and memorable portrayals of Celie, Nettie, Shug Avery and Sofia and their experience. The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery. Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, Alice Walker's epic carries readers on a spirit-affirming journey toward redemption and love. |
alice walker impact on society: The Third Life of Grange Copeland Alice Walker, 2011-11-22 From the New York Times–bestselling author of The Color Purple: A “moving, tender” novel of a Deep South tenant farmer’s quest for a new life (Publishers Weekly). Grange Copeland, a deeply conflicted and struggling tenant farmer in the Deep South of the 1930s, leaves his family and everything he’s ever known to find happiness and respect in the cold cities of the North. This misadventure, his “second life,” proves a dismal failure that sends him back where he came from to confront his now-grown-up son’s disastrous relationships with his own family, including Grange’s granddaughter, Ruth Copeland, a child that Grange grows to love. Love becomes the substance of his third and final life. He spends it in devotion to Ruth, teaching and protecting her—though the cost of doing so is almost more than he can bear. From a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner, this is an “honest sensitive tale . . . leavened by those moments of humor and warmth that have enabled men and women to endure so much tragedy” (Chicago Daily News). This ebook features an illustrated biography of Alice Walker including rare photos from the author’s personal collection. |
alice walker impact on society: Alice Walker Stephanie Fitzgerald, 2008 Examines the life and career of the African American woman who won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, The Color Purple. |
alice walker impact on society: The Same River Twice Alice Walker, 1997 In the early eightiesm three extraordinary events interrupted Alice Walker's peaceful, reclusive life--the publication of the bestselling novel The Color Purple, the Pulitzer Prize, and an offer from Spielberg to make her novel into a film. This book chronicles that period of transition from recluse to public figure, and invites us to contemplate, along with her, the true significance of unanticipated gifts. |
alice walker impact on society: The Temple of My Familiar Alice Walker, 2011-09-20 The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple weaves a “glorious and iridescent” tapestry of interrelated lives in this New York Times bestseller (Library Journal). Includes a new letter written by the author In The Temple of My Familiar, Celie and Shug from The Color Purple subtly shadow the lives of dozens of characters, all dealing in some way with the legacy of the African experience in America. From recent African immigrants, to a woman who grew up in the mixed-race rainforest communities of South America, to Celie’s own granddaughter living in modern-day San Francisco, all must come to understand the brutal stories of their ancestors to come to terms with their own troubled lives. As Walker follows these astonishing characters, she weaves a new mythology from old fables and history, a profoundly spiritual explanation for centuries of shared African American experience. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Alice Walker including rare photos from the author’s personal collection. The Temple of My Familiar is the 2nd book in the Color Purple Collection, which also includes The Color Purple and Possessing the Secret of Joy. |
alice walker impact on society: Why War Is Never a Good Idea Alice Walker, 2007-09-18 Though War is Old It has not Become wise. Poet and activist Alice Walker personifies the power and wanton devastation of war in this evocative poem. Stefano Vitale’s compelling paintings illustrate this unflinching look at war’s destructive nature and unforeseen consequences. |
alice walker impact on society: Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart Alice Walker, 2018-10-02 * WINNER of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work * Alice Walker, author of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning The Color Purple—“an American novel of permanent importance” (San Francisco Chronicle)—crafts a bilingual collection that is both playfully imaginative and intensely moving. Presented in both English and Spanish, Alice Walker shares a timely collection of nearly seventy works of passionate and powerful poetry that bears witness to our troubled times, while also chronicling a life well-lived. From poems of painful self-inquiry, to celebrating the simple beauty of baking frittatas, Walker offers us a window into her magical, at times difficult, and liberating world of activism, love, hope and, above all, gratitude. Whether she’s urging us to preserve an urban paradise or behold the delicate necessity of beauty to the spirit, Walker encourages us to honor the divine that lives inside all of us and brings her legendary free verse to the page once again, demonstrating that she remains a revolutionary poet and an inspiration to generations of fans. |
alice walker impact on society: Sweet People Are Everywhere Alice Walker, 2021-09-28 Sweet People Are Everywhere, an illustrated picture book featuring a poem by internationally renowned writer and activist Alice Walker, is a powerful celebration of humanity. The poem addresses a young boy getting his first passport, taking the boy––and the reader––on a journey through a series of countries around the globe where “sweet people” can be found. Sweet People Are Everywhere, an illustrated picture book for children ages 4–8 (and readers of all ages) by internationally renowned writer and activist Alice Walker, focuses on a common thread of the “sweet people” who can be found all over the world. The poem addresses a young boy getting his first passport, taking the boy––and the reader––on a journey through a series of countries around the globe. The poem is a powerful celebration of humanity and globalism, embodying a generosity of spirit that is inspiring, timely, and timeless. After journeying through dozens of countries and pointing out the sweet people in each place, Walker writes these beautiful, hopeful, and haunting words: We are lost if we can no longer experience how sweet human beings can be. Promise me never to forget this. The book’s full-color illustrations by Quim Torres include a world map highlighting the many countries referenced, and the book includes an interview with Alice Walker. The evocative free verse poem was first published in Walker’s 2018 poetry collection Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart, winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. Library Journal praised the book for its “poems of love and hope” and, in a starred review, Booklist commended Walker’s “prodding wisdom of an elder suggesting that we can cope by taking comfort in beauty, friendship, and human kindness; by always expressing gratitude; and by turning inward to hold ourselves accountable for what we contribute.” Sweet People Are Everywhere is Walker’s sixth book for children, and it explores and builds on some of the same themes as her 2007 title Why War Is Never a Good Idea; her first children’s book was Langston Hughes: American Poet (1974). |
alice walker impact on society: The Way Forward Is with a Broken Heart Alice Walker, 2012-02-01 These are the stories that came to me to be told after the close of a magical marriage to an extraordinary man that ended in a less-than-magical divorce. I found myself unmoored, unmated, ungrounded in a way that challenged everything I'd ever thought about human relationships. Situated squarely in that terrifying paradise called freedom, precipitously out on so many emotional limbs, it was as if I had been born; and in fact I was being reborn as the woman I was to become. So says Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker about her beautiful new book, in which one of the best American writers today (The Washington Post) gives us superb stories based on rich truths from her own experience. Imbued with Walker's wise philosophy and understanding of people, the spirit, sex and love, The Way Forward Is with a Broken Heart begins with a lyrical, autobiographical story of a marriage set in the violent and volatile Deep South during the early years of the civil rights movement. Walker goes on to imagine stories that grew out of the life following that marriage—a life, she writes, that was marked by deep sea-changes and transitions. These provocative stories showcase Walker's hard-won knowledge of love of many kinds and of the relationships that shape our lives, as well as her infectious sense of humor and joy. Filled with wonder at the power of the life force and of the capacity of human beings to move through love and loss and healing to love again, The Way Forward Is with a Broken Heart is an enriching, passionate book by a lavishly gifted writer (The New York Times Book Review). |
alice walker impact on society: Anything We Love Can Be Saved Alice Walker, 2012-04-04 In Anything We Love Can Be Saved, Alice Walker writes about her life as an activist, in a book rich in the belief that the world is saveable, if only we will act. Speaking from her heart on a wide range of topics--religion and the spirit, feminism and race, families and identity, politics and social change--Walker begins with a moving autobiographical essay in which she describes her own spiritual growth and roots in activism. She goes on to explore many important private and public issues: being a daughter and raising one, dreadlocks, banned books, civil rights, and gender communication. She writes about Zora Neale Hurston and Salman Rushdie and offers advice to Bill Clinton. Here is a wise woman's thoughts as she interacts with the world today, and an important portrait of an activist writer's life. NOTE: This edition does not include photographs. |
alice walker impact on society: Alice Walker's The Color Purple Christopher Hubert, 1996 Presents a guide to reading and understanding The Color Purple, the story of two African-American sisters told through their letters to each other; featuring an introduction to the novel and its author, historical background, a list of characters, a plot summary, and letter summaries, analyses, and study questions. |
alice walker impact on society: Alice Walker Henry L. Gates, 2000-02-11 |
alice walker impact on society: Hagar Alice Cary, 1852 |
alice walker impact on society: But Some of Us Are Brave Akasha (Gloria T.) Hull, Patricia Bell-Scott, Barbara Smith, 2016-01-01 Published in 1982, But Some of Us Are Brave was the first-ever Black women's studies reader and a foundational text of contemporary feminism. Featuring writing from eminent scholars, activists, teachers, and writers, such as the Combahee River Collective and Alice Walker, All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some of Us Are Bravechallenges the absence of Black feminist thought in women’s studies, confronts racism, and investigates the mythology surrounding Black women in the social sciences. As the first comprehensive collection of Black feminist scholarship, But Some of Us Are Brave was recognized by Audre Lorde as “the beginning of a new era, where the ‘women’ in women’s studies will no longer mean ‘white.’” Coeditors Akasha (Gloria T.) Hull, Patricia Bell-Scott, and Barbara Smith are authors and former women's studies professors. Brittney C. Cooper is a professor of Women's and Gender Studies and Africana Studies at Rutgers University. She is the author of several books, including Eloquent Rage, named by Emma Watson as an Our Shared Shelf read for November/December 2018. |
alice walker impact on society: Alice Walker Banned Alice Walker, 1996 Featuring a reprint of Alice Walker's short stories Roselily and Am I Blue?, this little gift book carries a serious message about censorship. Holt's Introduction decribes past forms of literary censorship in the United States and places the contemporary banning of books within that history. |
alice walker impact on society: Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart Alice Walker, 2004-04-20 The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple, Possessing the Secret of Joy, and The Temple of My Familiar now gives us a beautiful new novel that is at once a deeply moving personal story and a powerful spiritual journey. In Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart, Alice Walker has created a work that ranks among her finest achievements: the story of a woman’s spiritual adventure that becomes a passage through time, a quest for self, and a collision with love. Kate has always been a wanderer. A well-published author, married many times, she has lived a life rich with explorations of the natural world and the human soul. Now, at fifty-seven, she leaves her lover, Yolo, to embark on a new excursion, one that begins on the Colorado River, proceeds through the past, and flows, inexorably, into the future. As Yolo begins his own parallel voyage, Kate encounters celibates and lovers, shamans and snakes, memories of family disaster and marital discord, and emerges at a place where nothing remains but love. Told with the accessible style and deep feeling that are its author’s hallmarks, Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart is Alice Walker’s most surprising achievement. |
alice walker impact on society: The Impact of Racism on African American Families Paul C. Rosenblatt, 2016-03-03 In spite of the existence of statistics and numerical data on various aspects of African American life, including housing, earnings, assets, unemployment, household violence, teen pregnancy and encounters with the criminal justice system, social science literature on how racism affects the everyday interactions of African American families is limited. How does racism come home to and affect African American families? If a father in an African American family is denied employment on the basis of his race or a wife is demeaned at work by racist slurs, how is their family life affected? Given the lack of social science literature responding to these questions, this volume turns to an alternative source in order to address them: literature. Engaging with novels written by African American authors, it explores their rich depictions of African American family life, showing how these can contribute to our sociological knowledge and making the case for the novel as an object and source of social research. As such, it will appeal to scholars and students of the sociology of the family, race and ethnicity, cultural studies and literature. |
alice walker impact on society: Yankee Women Elizabeth D. Leonard, 1994 Tells the stories of three Northern women who radically changed America's central notions about gender during the Civil War. |
alice walker impact on society: The Beginning After The End TurtleMe, 2021-03-19 I had to accept that I wasn’t just Arthur Leywin anymore, and that I could no longer be limited by the circumstances of my birth. If I was going to escape, if I was going to go toe-to-toe with the most powerful beings in this world, I needed to push myself to my utmost limit...and then I needed to push even further. After nearly dying as a victim of his own strength, Arthur Leywin wakes to find himself far from the continent where he was born for the second time. Alone, broken, and with no way to tell his family he’s alive, Arthur must rebuild his strength to survive. As he ascends through an ancient dungeon filled with hostile beasts and devious trials, he discovers an ancient, absolute power - a power that will either ruin him or take him to new heights. But the dungeon won’t give up its knowledge easily. Before he can plunder its depths, Arthur must learn to untangle the threads of fate. He must band together with the unlikeliest of allies if he hopes to escape with his life. |
alice walker impact on society: Fair and Tender Ladies Lee Smith, 2011-07-05 A tour de force. LOS ANGELES TIMES Ivy Rowe may not have much education, but her thoughts are classic, and her experiences are fascinating. Born near the turn of the century in the Virginia Mountains, Ivy's story is told completely through letters she is forever writing, and that you will forever want to read.... Few readers will be dry-eyed as they watch this extraordinary woman disappear around that last bend in the road. CHICAGO TRIBUNE |
alice walker impact on society: Langston Hughes Alice Walker, 2005-12-27 This illustrated biography of the Harlem poet whose works gave voice to the joy and pain of the black experience in America is written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple. Full color. |
alice walker impact on society: To Hell with Dying Alice Walker, 1988 The author relates how old Mr. Sweet, though often on the verge of dying, could always be revived by the loving attention that she and her brother gave him. |
alice walker impact on society: The World Has Changed Alice Walker, 2010-04-20 The National Book Award– and Pulitzer Prize–winning author’s fascinating and far-reaching conversations with acclaimed writers and thought leaders. Spanning more than three decades, this collection of fascinating discussions between Alice Walker and renowned writers, leaders, and teachers, explores the changes that Walker has experienced in the world, as well as the change she herself has brought to it. Compelling literary and cultural figures such as Gloria Steinem, Pema Chödrön, and Howard Zinn represent a different stage in Walker’s artistic and spiritual development. Yet, they also offer an unprecedented look at her career and political growth. Noted literary scholar Rudolph Byrd sets Walker’s work into context with an introductory essay, as well as with a comprehensive annotated bibliography of her writings. “Read as separate pieces, these conversations offer vivid glimpses of Walker’s energetic personality. Taken together, they offer a sense of her marvelous engagement with her world.” —Kirkus Reviews |
alice walker impact on society: The Green Road: A Novel Anne Enright, 2015-05-11 One of the Guardian's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century With language so vibrant it practically has a pulse, Enright makes an exquisitely drawn case for the possibility of growth, love and transformation at any age. —People From internationally acclaimed author Anne Enright comes a shattering novel set in a small town on Ireland's Atlantic coast. The Green Road is a tale of family and fracture, compassion and selfishness—a book about the gaps in the human heart and how we strive to fill them. Spanning thirty years, The Green Road tells the story of Rosaleen, matriarch of the Madigans, a family on the cusp of either coming together or falling irreparably apart. As they grow up, Rosaleen's four children leave the west of Ireland for lives they could have never imagined in Dublin, New York, and Mali, West Africa. In her early old age their difficult, wonderful mother announces that she’s decided to sell the house and divide the proceeds. Her adult children come back for a last Christmas, with the feeling that their childhoods are being erased, their personal history bought and sold. A profoundly moving work about a family's desperate attempt to recover the relationships they've lost and forge the ones they never had, The Green Road is Enright's most mature, accomplished, and unforgettable novel to date. |
alice walker impact on society: Revolutionary Petunias Alice Walker, 2011-11-22 National Book Award Finalist: The love poems of an author caught up in a hopeful and sometimes violent upheaval. When Alice Walker published her second collection of poems in 1976, she had spent the previous decade deeply immersed in the civil rights movement. In these verses are her most visceral reactions to a moment in history that would shape the country, and that she herself influenced through words and advocacy. In hymns to ancestors, passionate polemics, and laments for lost possibilities, Walker addresses the problems of the past while keeping an eye on the possibilities of the future. Even in the midst of the call for change, these poems reveal a deep yearning for individual connection to others, as well as a deeply personal connection to nature. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Alice Walker including rare photos from the author’s personal collection. |
alice walker impact on society: Alice Walker: Living by the Word Alice Walker, 2011-12-29 'An extraordinarily diverse collection; pure Walker, fresh-eyed and sassy' NEW YORK TIMES Living by the Word is a memorable collection of essays, letters and journal extracts from Pulitzer Prize winner, Alice Walker. In her own immaculate prose, Alice Walker opens an intimate window to her world - whether it be her troubled relationship with her father, her upbringing amidst the poverty of rural Georgia, her daughter Rebecca, or simply her joy in choosing plants for her garden, planning the colours of her home, or relishing the taste of freshly picked vegetables. In other essays she explores themes such as the nature of dreams, justice, folklore and the role of ancestors. She details the story of Dessie Woods who was sent to jail for murdering her would-be rapist and highlights the role of racism and prejudice in the law's treatment of black women. Finally we travel with her on her journey to China, to Bali, and a visit to Nine Miles - the birthplace of the legendary Bob Marley. |
alice walker impact on society: --and the Truth Shall Set You Free David Icke, 1996 David Icke exposes what he says is the real story behind global events which shape the future of human existence. |
alice walker impact on society: The Cushion in the Road Alice Walker, 2013-04-09 The National Book Award– and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple explores our modern world with “compassion, courage, and humor” (Booklist). Alice Walker once ached for retirement, but in the turmoil of the Democratic primaries and the economic collapse of 2008, she realized she simply had a great deal more to say. Leaving her meditation cushion behind, she found herself traveling the world once again to speak of our intertwined personal, spiritual, and political destinies through ruminations, poems, essays, and letters. At the height of her literary powers, this revered American novelist, poet, essayist, and activist invites readers on a journey of political awakening and spiritual insight. While visiting subjects she has addressed throughout her career—including racism, Africa, Palestinian solidarity, and Cuba—as well as addressing emergent issues, such as the presidency of Barack Obama and health care, Walker explores her conflicting impulses to retreat into inner contemplation and to remain deeply engaged with the world. Rich with humor and wisdom, and informed by Walker’s unique eye for the details of human and natural experience, The Cushion in the Road is “a heartfelt response to a new generation’s yearning for public service” (Kirkus Reviews). “Walker’s concern for the state of humanity and the planet comes through as impassioned and genuine.” —Publishers Weekly “Quintessential Alice Walker: edgy, demanding, prayerful, loving, and aware. An essential companion for those who wish to be a force for positive change in our perpetually challenging world.” —ForeWord Magazine “Infused with a quiet grace and gentle resolve to act responsibly.” —Kirkus Reviews |
alice walker impact on society: Warrior Marks Alice Walker, Pratibha Parmar, 1998-09 Alice Walker and Pratibha Parmar expose the secret of female genital mutilation, a practice that affects one hundred million of the world's women. New Introductions by the Authors. |
alice walker impact on society: Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth Alice Walker, 2007-12-18 In this exquisite book, Alice Walker’s first new collection of poetry since 1991, are poems that reaffirm her as “one of the best American writers of today” (The Washington Post). The forces of nature and the strength of the human spirit inspire the poems in Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth. Alice Walker opens us to feeling and understanding, with poems that cover a broad spectrum of emotions. With profound artistry, Walker searches for, discovers, and declares the fundamental beauty of existence, as she explores what it means to experience life fully, to learn from it, and to grow both as an individual and as part of a greater spiritual community. About Walker’s Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful, America said, “In the tradition of Whitman, Walker sings, celebrates and agonizes over the ordinary vicissitudes that link and separate all of humankind,” and the same can be said about this astonishing new collection, Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth. |
alice walker impact on society: Possessing the Secret of Joy Alice Walker, 2011-09-20 An American woman struggles with the genital mutilation she endured as a child in Africa in a New York Times bestseller “as compelling as The Color Purple” (San Francisco Chronicle). In Tashi’s tribe, the Olinka, young girls undergo female genital mutilation as an initiation into the community. Tashi manages to avoid this fate at first, but when pressed by tribal leaders, she submits. Years later, married and living in America as Evelyn Johnson, Tashi’s inner pain emerges. As she questions why such a terrifying, disfiguring sacrifice was required, she sorts through the many levels of subjugation with which she’s been burdened over the years. In Possessing the Secret of Joy, Alice Walker exposes the abhorrent practice of female genital mutilation in an unforgettable, moving novel. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Alice Walker including rare photos from the author’s personal collection. Possessing the Secret of Joy is the 3rd book in the Color Purple Collection, which also includes The Color Purple and The Temple of My Familiar. |
Historical Influences On Social Justice Themes In Alice …
Alice Walker often begins her exploration of social justice themes by recognizing the lasting impact of slavery in America. In her influential novel "The Color Purple," she fearlessly portrays …
The Life of Alice Walker and Her Best Novels as an Activist …
a unique way, taking into account differences in circumstances and social environment. Alice Walker, as an activist nd writer, seeks to create an understanding between the organization …
Sex, Race, and Class: Representation of Black Women in …
ism and gender disparity issues. African American literature has laid its foundations on the marginalization of black women. The term womanism was invented by Alice Walk. r in the year …
Empowerment of women in Alice walker s the colour purple
Alice Walker has projected her women characters as victims of violence, especially in domestic space, curbs women’s resistance and fractures her subjectivity as it poses threat to both her …
Author's Works and Themes: Alice Walker - Gale
role that society has ascribed to her. In the course of the novel, Sophia becomes Celie's first role model of a black woman who does not allow the men surrounding her to limit her lifestyle. …
QUEST FOR SELF: A RIEF STUDY OF ALIE WALKER’S …
gainst the violence suffered by the burdened Afro-American women. Through a character Celie, the writer Alice Walker portrays the damaging effects of male domination and explores the …
Female Consciousness in Alice Walker’s the Color Purple
The study adopts Alice Walker’s womanist theory which accounts for the construction of black women consciousness and advocates for a more integrative societal structure.
Society and Self in Alice Walker's "In Love and Trouble"
Walker engages imaginatively the patriarchal character of life and history (Washington 6). In so doing, Walker shows the lives of Black women as social beings are shaped by. from their …
ALICE WALKER'S MERIDIAN AND THE COLOR PURPLE: …
ALICE WALKER'S MERIDIAN AND THE COLOR PURPLE: SOCIAL COMMENTARY AND INNER CONFLICT REVEALED Madhulina Bauri, Assistant Professor, Department of English, …
Cultures in Conflict: An Interpretation of Alice Walker's …
f her works is the life of Blacks and their battle a r equal economical, political and sexual rights. She explore dualities and the tension and ambivalence of post modernism. In her short story …
BREAKING CHAINS, CLAIMING VOICES: FEMALE …
By employing these data analysis techniques, this study aims to uncover the complexities of female liberation within Alice Walker's literature and contribute to a deeper understanding of …
Identities without Borders: June Jordan, Audre Lorde, Alice …
From roots in economically vulnerable families who sufered greatly in a white supremacist social system, June Jordan, Audre Lorde, and Alice Walker would each forge a writing career that …
ISSN: 2643-9123 The Importance of Alice Walker‟s Creative …
ding basic information about the life and work of African-American writer Alice Walker. It is intended to show the essential information about her life and works that are re. lly important for …
A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE 1960S: ALICE …
Implicit in Walker’s treatment of female sexuality is a harsh criticism to the nationalist discourse about reproduction, which devalued actual mothers as reactionary obstacles to revolution …
Exploring Alice Walker’s Idea of Nature, Self and the Spirit: …
Walker has examined history and society from her mother‘s and grandmothers‘ perspective and has especially examined religion, with them in mind. She is drawn towards a reverence of …
SOCIAL ISSUES OF WOMEN IN WALKER`S THE COLOUR …
Powerfully Alice walker uses the symbolism as technic to show the social issues of black women in American society and to provide us with the real image of the black community to discuss …
ALICE WALKER’S BIOGRAPHY AND CREATIVE WORK IN …
Walker's fiction concentrates on the perspective and experiences of African-American women, particularly in the rural South. She has often met with controversy, for she has been …
African-American Women’s Double Oppression in Alice …
ways Whites deprive Blacks of their advantages and are opposed to their so In dealing with the oppressed life of black women in her novel, Alice Walker does not only point out racial …
“A Womanist Story”: Alice Walker’s Moral Biography - Springer
White’s biography captures a glimpse of how the dispossession of land affected Henry Clay Walker and impacted later generations. Bill Walker (Alice Walker’s brother) recalls how his …
Alice Walker and the Theory of Womanism in Her Stories
acial discrimination, violence, women‟s freedom. I. INTRODUCTION As both a creative artist and a critical writer, Alice Walker ha. been a major contributor to the complex writing of African …
Historical Influences On Social Justice Themes In Ali…
Alice Walker often begins her exploration of social justice themes by recognizing the lasting impact of slavery in America. In her influential …
The Life of Alice Walker and Her Best Novels as an Activ…
a unique way, taking into account differences in circumstances and social environment. Alice Walker, as an activist nd writer, seeks to create an …
Sex, Race, and Class: Representation of Black Wo…
ism and gender disparity issues. African American literature has laid its foundations on the marginalization of black women. The term womanism …
Empowerment of women in Alice walker s the colour p…
Alice Walker has projected her women characters as victims of violence, especially in domestic space, curbs women’s resistance and fractures …
Author's Works and Themes: Alice Walker - Gale
role that society has ascribed to her. In the course of the novel, Sophia becomes Celie's first role model of a black woman who does not allow the …