Alice Walker
1992
Around 290 pages
Well, we spun the List wheel and unfortunately it landed on female circumcision again. Not that it's a subject that should be ignored. But is there a single more upsetting subject on the planet?
Our main character is Tashi, who actually appeared as a minor character in The Color Purple. Tashi lives the fictional African country Olinka, which still practices female genital mutilation. Tashi wants to go back to Olinka and have the procedure done as an adult to connect to her African roots.
This is actually our last Walker novel on this List, so we are saying goodbye to her right after Toni Morrison. And like Toni Morrison, Walker is capable of breaking my heart into a billion quarks in ten sentences. I immediately clicked with the style of this novel, and particularly enjoyed the panther story at the beginning that effectively sets the tone for the rest of the novel.
And what else is there to say about the main message of the novel? As Walker eloquently points out, torture is not culture. The only reason I'm not giving this five stars is because it's not a story that I want to revisit or dwell on. But Walker sure got her point across!
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
Walker has faced multiple accusations of antisemitism due to her praise for British conspiracy theorist David Icke and his works, which contain antisemitic conspiracy theories, along with criticisms of her own writings.
UP NEXT: A Heart So White by Javier Marias
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