Why The Color Purple Sets a Tone Of Controversy

A good book may go with you until your bedtime but a best book will be with you for a lifetime. For instance, there are some timeless treasures of American Literature beginning with 'THE COLOR PURPLE' by Alice Walker. Why am I citing this specific example? It is because I am going to base this article on its theme, storyline, plot, and characters.

The color purple explores the fall and rise of a young African-American woman called Celie Johnson. There is a hue of fear, exploitation, horrid teenage years, and abuse by one's stepfather. Alice has carefully kept out the vivid images of life through celie's perspective and why not as whole of the book is celie's journey from hell to heaven and from downfall to rise.

When this novel came out, it received mixed reactions from the black Americans as the abuse came from the community itself. Walker's work on the other hand was a pioneer in the sense of history. This book actually created a lot many controversies in the American fiction. It represents the idea of slavery in the Negro community that destroys the basic unit and infrastructure of the society that is family. Money on the other hand was another major horror that this people faced. Young children and especially teenage girls were sold or married to oldies to have money and farming animals. It was as if making slaves and the masters that resided in the families sold them off without having a second thought.

 We always take an example and recite all the time that our families are there to protect us but here family led the young girls to slavery, exploitation, bullying and mental abuse. If there were no families, there would be no slavery, no community, no unity, and no society. This sounds like hell but this is true. No effective protests were seen, and as we read the book, we actually can picture the girl who is forced to become a woman and how she finds love in the same-sex relationship. (Celie and Shug Avery). The writer does not follow the usual track of black and white mechanism of slavery but black on black exploitation effect. Here, the lower class is not only affected by the whites but also by their own people.

Alice is African-American woman writing about and for the African-American people. The evil comes from the same community. Walker by this brave attempt explores the grey areas pervading in her own community. This was not an easy task. She got death-threats and killer letters from people because all of them were hoping to see this as a 'white-perspective' novel. It is easier to throw off the blame on other's shoulders because we cannot acknowledge our own faults. (Is it not?). In this context, the roles are literally changed. Immense contradiction is reflected and terrible backlash is seen.

I do not judge the author, the book, or the community because when a writer writes she promises to portray real-life accuracy. It is a dismayed representation of a young black life and the villain is not the archetypal white but the black people themselves.

When you get threatened, frightened or bullied by your own family, community and society your life turns into a living hell. But if you believe in God and trust your destiny no one will dare to stop you from having the best part of your life.

New Novel Takes Readers From Chicago World's Fair to Southwest With Harvey Girls

Mountains of Love is the latest novel from the prolific pen of Great Lakes Romances author Donna Winters. It also represents a new departure for Winters, who has previously set her novels along the Great Lakes where she has lived for many years. A few years ago, Winters moved to the Southwest and that has influenced her latest novel. Twenty-three-year-old Cedena Rossier, the book's heroine, is from Fayette, Michigan, where Winters previously set a trilogy, but Cedena journeys to the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 and then to Kansas City and Las Vegas, New Mexico.

And Cedena's journey is quite the ride. Like the Ferris wheel Cedena rides on at the World's Fair, this novel is full of wonderful views of the United States at the end of the nineteenth century as well as some gasps over the excitement that runs throughout its pages.

The story begins when Cedena accompanies her mother, aunt, and uncle to the Chicago World's Fair. Cedena and her mother have fallen on hard times. Her father and brother were involved in the iron industry in Fayette, Michigan, until the Jackson Iron Company pulled out of town. They then took to fishing to support the family, but two years ago, they were lost in a storm on Lake Michigan. Since then, Cedena and her mother have struggled to make ends meet and Cedena's Uncle James has had to send them money just so they could survive. Now Cedena's aunt and uncle have invited her to attend the World Fair's in Chicago with them, where Uncle James has a booth for Paxton's Pharmaceuticals, his own company based in Kansas City. Running the booth for him is a young man named Matthew who immediately takes a liking to Cedena.

Cedena, however, is more interested in seeing the sights at the fair than being involved with Matthew. She finds him somewhat overbearing, and when she meets handsome Orin Young and his sister Alice, who seems to like Matthew, Cedena hopes Matthew will fall for Alice while she gets to spend time with Orin.

One of the splendors of this novel is the Chicago World's Fair. It was the spectacle of the decade, and Winters takes us on a tour of it, showing us everything from the camel races to the hot air balloon ride, the Fourth of July fireworks, and the Chinese Village. We feel drawn in, seeing it all through Cedena's eyes, and only wish we could go back in time to see it for ourselves.

But eventually, Cedena's visit to the fair draws to an end and she has to make some hard decisions. She realizes there is nothing in Fayette for her to return to, and she is also tired of her mother's controlling ways. She has also met some people at the fair who make her want to remain in Chicago. When she takes her uncle up on his offer to stay and help him, she comes into immediate conflict with her mother, resulting in her mother disowning her. Worse, the Depression of 1893 is just beginning, and by the time the fair is over and Cedena returns to Kansas City with her aunt and uncle, her uncle's business is in such decline that Cedena must learn to fend for herself. Then she has the brilliant idea to have the adventure of a lifetime by becoming a Harvey Girl.

To say more would be to spoil all the fun, but Cedena's experiences in the Southwest are anything but dull as she meets new and unsavory characters, tries to be self-supporting, and struggles with the feelings of her heart and making the best decisions for her future.

Donna Winters has written many other novels and I have read many of them, from Mackinac to her Fayette Trilogy and her more recent Saving Mossy Point. After writing so many historical and Christian romances, one would think the books would become formulaic, but that is not at all the case. Winters writes about real people facing real-life struggles in historical settings that make you feel you are right there with the characters. I could feel Cedena's excitement at the fair, her exhaustion after working long shifts as a Harvey Girl, her frustrations dealing with difficult people from family members to fellow employees, and ultimately, her courage in making the best decisions for herself. She and her fellow characters will remain with you a long time.

Anyone who loves historical fiction and romance will find Mountains of Love a wonderful saga to get lost in and wish there were mountains more of it.

Book Review: Vikram Seth's Novel ÄN Equal Music"

The British ruled India for close to 200 years. One of the spinoffs of British rule was the English language that is spoken and understood by millions of Indians today. It will not be out of place to mention that the English knowing population in India is more than the population of the UK and Canada combined. It's almost equal the population of the United States. This had its effect and a string of writers from Mulkraj Anand, Kushwant Singh, Manohar Malgonkar, Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy and Vikram Seth has appeared on the scene. Indian writers in English are well known and have carved a niche for themselves in the world of English literature.

Vikram Seth

Out of these famous names Vikram Seth has carved a niche for himself in the field of English Literature. Seth was born in Calcutta in 1952 and now alternates between England and New Delhi. He has written a number of books and novels that have won critical acclaim. Vikram has bought the house of the Anglican poet George Herbert in 1996. He got it renovated. In India he lives at Delhi with his parents.

An Equal Music

One of his novels 'An Equal Music' was published in 1999. This book published after the success of 'A Suitable Boy' in 1993 has been greatly appreciated by critics. One aspect of Vikram Seth's books stands out. The writer has himself acknowledged that most of the fictional characters depicted in his books are drawn from his personal life. His mother Justice Leila Seth in her autobiography has mentioned that the character Haresh in 'A Suitable Boy' is based on her husband. In 'An Equal Music', Seth has himself hinted that the idea of the novel was inspired by his live in partner at that time the French musician Philippe Honoré.

Vikram Seth is an inspired writer who can integrate real life characters in his fictional book.

The Plot

The novel is set in Europe with Venice and Vienna forming a magnificent backdrop. The plot concerns Michael, a professional violinist, who loved a pianist, named Julia a decade back. However Julia remains in his thoughts and he just cannot forget her. In fact he really loved her. Seth writes a tale of romance and love as Julia re-enters the life of Michael after 10 years.

The situation has changed as Julia is married and has a child. Romance blossoms between the two and the lovers confront the truth about themselves. Seth brings out the intense love between the two as they meet in secret. The secret trysts are a beauty of the novel and shows the forte of Vikram Seth as a creative writer. There is a twist to the tale as the musical careers of the lovers is affected and there is a deep pathos as the knowledge dawns on Michael that Julia is lowly going deaf. This also affects the reader as he gets to grips with the book.

Vikram's Forte

Vikram Seth writes brilliantly and portrays the international music scene vividly. The accuracy of Seth's descriptions of music in particular enthused musical fans. No less than Paolo Isotta a renowned music critic in Il Corriere della Sera has stated that no European writer or any novel before had been able to convey the full gamut and potential of a person who practiced music for a living. This is a matter of great credit for Vikram Seth and a feather in his cap.

Awards

Vikram Seth has been honoured by the government of India with a Padma Shri. He has also won the WH Smith Literary Award and Crossword Book Award. Vikram Seth remains one of India's finest writers. Seth claims he is bisexual and in 2006 he led the campaign in India which called for deletion of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which concerns homosexuality.

Personal Life

Vikram Seth never formally married though he had close liaison with women. He is bisexual and lived for years with French musician Philippe Honoré. Seth has no children and lives with his parents. He was earlier educated at the prestigious Doon School and went to Oxford. Seth deserves credit for writing in a language which is not his mother tongue. One can look forward to further books from him. Vikram Seth is a Punjabi and has punctured the fallacious concept that Punjabi are not for intellectual pursuits.

New Book Offers Five-Step Dating Process for Finding Your Lifetime Partner

Anyone who is tired of attracting Mr. or Mrs. Wrong and still wants to find Mr. or Mrs. Right need look no further. Renée Michelle Gordon has the answer for you in the five-step process she developed to find her own soulmate, and now she shares that process so others can do the same in her new book Finding Your Love at Last.

If anyone is experienced at finding love, it is Renée. She has actually been engaged nine times, but each time, she ended up breaking off the engagement before she went to the altar because she realized the man was not her perfect soulmate. She learned how to make herself appealing to men through online dating websites, but she also learned how to be discerning about which men she dated. When she began online dating, she was hoping to find six or seven potential suitors, one of whom would become her "love at last." Instead, she was overwhelmed with men who wanted to date her. Using just one dating website, she received no less than 2,874 invitations to connect. With such overwhelming numbers, how could anyone pick the right man?

Well, Renée did it through a very careful five-step process. And since then, she has become a dating coach and shared her process with over 500 couples who have found lasting love, proof that her process definitely works. But she can't help everyone who wants to find true love, so now she's sharing her process in this book to bring it to a wider audience.

Renée walks readers through the entire process from how to create a winning online profile that will attract the right man or woman-and she reminds the reader that you're only looking for one; it's not a popularity contest-to how to weed out people from being your potential suitor, the questions to ask people on a date, how to interview prospective soulmates without making them feel like they are being interviewed, and definite things to avoid, such as dating in the workplace. She also warns us about potential red flags to watch for, what not to do on a date (such as go to a movie), and why you should have your first meeting with someone at a place like a coffee shop where you only need to commit to half an hour rather than agreeing to a two- or three-hour dinner commitment.

Renée's process is easy to follow, and the discussion is enjoyable and entertaining as well. Most of the book is set up in an interview format in which Renée is interviewed by Peter Lisoskie, whose talk show host background helped make the questions engaging. Peter is also a human behavior expert who added to the conversation by discussing his own dating experiences and sharing his knowledge of neuroscience to explain how our brains act when we are looking for love. The result is a book that makes readers feel like they are listening in on two friends having a conversation in a coffee shop.

In addition, there's a foreword by Jim Connelly, Renée's husband of nearly fifteen years and counting. Throughout the book, Renée describes her and Jim's relationship and how they determined that they were each other's love at last and the process they went through to make sure that love would last.

While a lot of the book concerns Internet dating, Renée also gives tips on other places you can find love as well as how to connect with potential soulmates in social settings. The back of the book includes three special reports on How to Bring Back Your Mojo, How to Write a Winning Profile, and the Top 21 Dating Websites. These special reports alone are invaluable and filled with good advice. I especially loved the mojo one, which can help you feel sexier and more attractive so you are sending out the right vibe to attract Mr. or Mrs. Right.

Renée's sparkling personality shines throughout the book and the discussion is filled with humor, but Renée will be the first to tell you that dating is a very serious process. She advocates for removing emotion from the equation at least in the initial stages so you go about choosing Mr. Right in a logical manner-otherwise he might turn out to be Mr. Wrong later. Nor is dating solely about sexual chemistry; it's about finding long-term compatibility. Renée does not hold back any punches in telling it like it is so readers will be cautious and constantly keep their own best interests in mind rather than settling for the first person who comes along.

After reading this book and hearing the many stories Renée shares in it, I'm convinced that Renée's five-step process will work if you use it properly. Reading this book will definitely be time well spent if you want to find your love at last.

New Girl Car Model

Models is the fifth episode of the second season of New Girl.

Girls Hot Definition

Girl Up, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, gives American girls the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls. Through Girl Up’s support, girls have the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted and positioned to be the next generation of leaders. Campaign supporters are encouraged to give a “High Five” to girls in developing countries by donating $5 or more to provide girls with such basic needs as access to school supplies, clean water, life-saving health services, safety from violence and more.

Hot Girls

How to get a girls phone number in 60 seconds and why you have not been successful at getting their phone number...up until now!

Just about every day good-looking girls get approached by guys who want them for sex. Most of these guys are not very good looking which is not the most important thing in the world as you will soon see. Almost none of the guys that approach girls are graceful in their approach.

The first thing you have to understand in order to get a girls phone number is you have to understand her frame of mind in terms of what she goes through.

How would you feel if every single day you were approached by five to 10 different women most of them not so good looking and almost all of them having stupid things to say like "hey baby I bet your big between your legs".

If you do not get much action your first thought is probably "I would love that!" Believe me you would tire of it quickly and an attractive looking girl is very tired of it.

At this point you may already be appreciating why women seem to have such a defensive attitude when you approach them and try to get their phone number.

Read on and you will see how to quickly break down these barriers and get on their side of the fence. In a matter of 60 seconds or so you will be able to get their phone number and their e-mail address.

Car Over There To Showcase In The Exhibition

After you have checked the dates and made sure all is well then you need to start trying to find a hotel in the area of the event. Nothing will be worse then having to sleep in your rental car the night or day before the show. You will always want to get a room lined up so as soon as you get there you can just go dump all your luggage off and go exploring the area in which you are in. after you have a room reserved you should start looking for a rental car you will want to get a rental car that is cheap and you might even be able to ship your car over there to showcase in the exhibition.

Auto Car Shopping Tips for Women

As a child, the purchase of a new car was a rare and exciting experience. Nowhere else could we crawl into a strange car with abandon and test the resiliency of the seating and push all the neat buttons within reach. We didn't buy cars often, but in the times it happened I did notice one thing: no matter where we went in our search, every salesperson was male. Not only that, my father handled most of the negotiations, despite my mother being an educated person who did know something about cars.