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      The Color Purple

      by Alice Walker
      Published
      Jun 1982
      Main Genre
      General Fiction General Fiction
      Rating
      Pages
      295
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      About This Book

      Celie is a poor black woman whose letters tell the story of 20 years of her life, beginning at age 14 when she is being abused and raped by her father and attempting to protect her sister from the same fate, and continuing over the course of her marriage to "Mister," a brutal man who terrorizes her. Celie eventually learns that her abusive husband has been keeping her sister's letters from her and the rage she feels, combined with an example of love and independence provided by her close friend Shug, pushes her finally toward an awakening of her creative and loving self.

      Genres & Themes

      Genres

      General Fiction

      Subgenres

      Literary

      Themes

      Movie/TV Adaptations

      Age Level

      Young Adult / Teens

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      Jun 1985 Pocket ISBN 0671617028
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      Jun 1983 Washington Square Press ISBN 0671526022
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      Mar 1987 Pocket ISBN 0671647458
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      Apr 1990 Pocket ISBN 0671727796
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      May 1992 Rourke Publishing (FL) ISBN 0685571467
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      Jan 1996 Washington Square Press ISBN 0671668781
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      Feb 1998 Washington Square Press ISBN 0671019074
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      Jun 2000 Prentice Hall ISBN 0205150470
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      Jun 2003 Harvest ISBN 0156028352
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      Aug 2004 Phoenix (UK) ISBN 0753818922
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      Nov 2006 Harvest ISBN 0156031825
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      Sep 2012 Research & Education Association,U.S. ISBN 0878910093
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      Nov 2015 Houghton Mifflin ISBN 054480502X
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      Sep 2017 Orion (UK) ISBN 147460725X
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      Jul 2019 Orion (UK) ISBN 1474612946
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      Dec 2019 Penguin ISBN 0143135694
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      Dec 2023 Penguin ISBN 0593512359
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      Perfection Learning ISBN 1690382694
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      Jan 1990 Cambridge University Press ISBN 0521403979
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      Jun 2003 Perfection Learning ISBN 0756929733
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      Nov 2006 Perfection Learning ISBN 168065196X
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      Jan 2010 ISBN 1124001360
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      Jan 2012 Orion (UK) ISBN 1409139263
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      Audio

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      Dec 2009 Recorded Books ISBN B0030MR01W
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      Large Print

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      Dec 1986 G.K. Hall & Company ISBN 081614141X
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      Dec 1986 G.K. Hall & Company ISBN 0816141428
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