book 25: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I don't remember exactly when I first read this book, but I remember where I was the first time I read the passage about the color purple so that would've been '10-'11. Of course I'd heard of the book and I saw the movie when I was 16, but I didn't decide to seek out and read a copy until shortly after graduating from college. I bought my secondhand copy immediately after finishing it and this was probably my 4th or 5th time rereading it.

This time I read it all in one day, it seems like every time I reread it it's less tragic and more joyous. It's still a heavy, painful read and makes me cry every time. The uplifting parts of the book take up more space each time I read it.

Spoiler: The first couple times I read this, I was mad that Mr. ______ hangs around and eventually becomes a member of the family. Probably because the first time I read this was very shortly after I cut contact with my mother (that's how I remember where I was, I was walking past the park by her house and stood there for a few minutes to appreciate the park in a way that she had never allowed). But the difference is that he learned humility and made amends, which I can better appreciate now that I've healed.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52892857-the-color-purple 

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