Possessing the Secret of Joy - by Alice Walker (Paperback)

About the Book

A "New York Times" bestseller, this novel tells the story of a tribal African woman now living in North America, who tries to reconcile her African heritage with her experience as a modern woman in America.

Book Synopsis

From the author the New York Times Book Review calls "a lavishly gifted writer," this is the searing story of Tashi, a tribal African woman first glimpsed in The Color Purple whose fateful decision to submit to the tsunga's knife and be genitally mutilated leads to a trauma that informs her life and fatefully alters her existence. Possessing the Secret of Joy, out of print for a number of years, was the first novel to deal with this controversial topic and managed to do so in a manner that Cosmopolitan called "masterful, honorable, and unforgettable storytelling." The New Press is proud to bring the book back into print with a new preface by the author addressing the book's initial reception and the changed attitudes toward female genital mutilation that have come about in part because of this book.

Review Quotes

"As compelling as . . . The Color Purple." -San Francisco Chronicle

"Extraordinarily courageous and chilling . . . Walker's remarkable compassion rings on every page." -Cosmopolitan

"Remarkable . . . superb fiction." -New York Daily News

"As compelling as . . . The Color Purple." --San Francisco Chronicle

"Extraordinarily courageous and chilling . . . Walker's remarkable compassion rings on every page." --Cosmopolitan

"Remarkable . . . superb fiction." --New York Daily News

About the Author

Alice Walker is one of the most prolific and important writers of our time, known for her literary fiction, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Color Purple (which was also a major Broadway play), her many volumes of poetry, and her powerful nonfiction collections. She is the author of We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For, Possessing the Secret of Joy, The World Has Changed (edited by Rudolph P. Byrd), The Chicken Chronicles, The World Will Follow Joy, and The Cushion in the Road, all published by The New Press. Some of her other bestselling books include In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens, The Temple of My Familiar, By the Light of My Father's Smile, and The Way Forward Is with a Broken Heart. Her advocacy on behalf of the dispossessed has spanned the globe. She lives in Northern California.