Includes bibliographical references (p. 152-157) and index.
Contents:
Background on Alice Walker -- Walker's childhood, education, and crusade for African American women -- Alice Walker's childhood sense of betrayal -- Feeling like an outsider -- The Color Purple and women's issues -- From being dominated to taking charge -- Being deprived of a mother's bond -- The myth of the rape and silencing of Philomela informs The Color Purple -- Walker revises traditional gender roles -- Trading male literary traditions for female oral ones -- Walker's relationship with the African American male -- Folk art as a means to female survival -- Male cruelty leads to positive changes -- Centering on women but ignoring race and economics -- The Color Purple is a disservice to Black women -- Contemporary perspectives on women's issues -- Women achieve social change through folk art -- Domestic violence retains cultural momentum worldwide -- Conflicting feminist ideologies among Black women -- A Black celebrity decides to make her sexual orientation known.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.