"You better not tell nobody but God. It'd kill your poor mammy." This line begins the story of a black woman's struggle to stand up to her husband and find herself in The Color Purple.

Celie is a black woman who lives in the South during the 1930s. She was sexually abused by her father and forced to marry a man she hates. When her sister Nettie is forced to move away from Celie, she is left alone to face her husband's beatings. That is, until she meets Shug Avery. Shug is Celie's husband's lover; she and Celie become friends. She helps stop the beatings and helps Celie realize that she is just as valuable a person as anyone.

This book opened my eyes to the way black women have been treated in the past, and it showed me how it would feel to be in that kind of situation. It also showed what a difference one person can make in someone's life.

This is the kind of book that makes you cry, laugh, and feel angry, all at the same time. Seeing how one person overcame her problems can help you to find different solutions to your own problems. .