The Color Purple: Piano/Vocal Selections Piano, Vocal and Guitar Chords

by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray

(Vocal Selections). Our piano/vocal folio features 13 songs from the Oprah Winfrey-produced Broadway adaptation of the powerful Alice Walker novel. The Color Purple * Hell No! * Mysterious Ways * Push Da Button * Too Beautiful for Words * What About Love? * and more. The arrangements are standard piano/vocal format with the melody in the piano part.

88 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Alexis Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this book was a great book. this book is about a girl named Celie who lived a life of a slave girl basically and she went thru a hard time by having two children by her own father and them being sent away. Then she married a man named Albert and was being treated like crap by him. when Celie began to stand up for herself and left him. Soon Albert realized how much he needed her and how he needed someone to take care of his kids.He helped her get her kids back . She went from a girl who had no confidence and was considered the lowest of the low and now she is a young woman who believes in herself and why she was on this earth.

This book was written in a letter point of view where she was writing letters to God and telling him how she was feeling and what was going on with her and her new life.It seemed that way because she never had anyone to talk to because she was always known as the peasant girl. I liked the ending of this book because Albert realized how selfish he was and how treating people really depends on if they will stick around you or not.

[Naji · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very entertaining, but I felt that it reinforces negative stereotypes about blacks. But then again I'm not black so I could be misreading it.

[JazmineHarlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The color purple really just was interesting and it focused on love and the kind of love a person can have towards the people that surround her. Celie is the main character in the color purple and her journey through life shows us how the way people treat you affects the way you love them or don't. Also Celie goes through some hard vents growing up in the south. She has no power over the way her life is runned.

[Dalen Seals]

This is a lovely story that I would recommend to all book lovers and those that don't like reading books. This book talks about sisters that were torn apart by the oldest sister's husband. The oldest sister was forced into the marriage. Which broke them apart, however, the details Brenda Russell included in this story really makes it worth the read. So give it a try and I'm sure you will enjoy it.

[Tabitha Fernandes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all time favorite books.

[alicia wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s so many things mentioned in the book that was not on the movie I am so surprised but I loved it as well

[Mayra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The color purple focuses on love and the kind of love a person can have towards the people that surround her.Celie is the main character in the color purple and her journey through life shoss us how the way people treat you effects the way you love them or don't.
Celie goes through some hard vents growing up in the south. She has no power over the way herlife is runned.Her father violets her and when she gets pregnant and gives birth , he takes her kids away.Celie is left alone and with the love she has for her children. She later is giving to a guy named Mr. and she os treatred with no respect from his children, she is made to work like a man and serve Mr. She has no love towards him because of what he puts her through.She is afraid of mr. since he beats her when she doens't listen.the onlyperson celie loved was her sister Nettie. Nettie is rele close to celie, and is loved dearly by celie. Nettie is celi's best friend and she teaches celie because celie can't go to school. Celie loves her sister and when nettie is taken away from her she is left again broken and with the love she has for her sister which is what keeps her going.
Celie develops a close relationship with Shug Avery, a singer that mr. brings to the house. She grows to like shug and appreciate her.She likes the way she(Shug) is so independent and likes the way she feels around Shug. The love she has towards Shug develops from the way Shug treats Celie, with respect and appreciation. Celie feels comfortable with Shug and therfore loves and values her friendship. As celie gains self-esteem she starts to realize she is worth more than what she is thought to be. She starts to speak up for herself and demand respect for herself. She stops being obedient and starts to value herself more.
The love Celie develops for the different people that surround her depends on the way she is treated. The relationship celie develops with the other characters is a result of the way she is treated and the way she feels around them. Celie loves and values the friendship of those who make her feel that she is worth something and that she matters.

[Peta-jaye R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Color Purple is an outstanding read that deals with the lifelong effects abusive relationships have on an individual. The emotional and physical abuse of the main character, Celie makes her believe a male is always suppose to have a dominant position over her. Since Celie was born she never had the experience of love beside the love form her sister. Celie was sexually abused by her father and produced two children with him. He took the children away from her as infants. She would not get the chance to develop love for them. When her sister was forced to leave by her husband, Celie though that she would never be able to find love again, especially from a man. Soon she comes across a famous African-American singer named Shug. Shug and Celie begin to develop a love for each other. Celie takes the love Shug shows her very seriously because this is the first person who ever showed Celie any affection. After all the emotional, physical, and sexual abuse she endures, Shug’s assertiveness, and confidence rubs off on Celie to he point where she is able to stand up for herself. She gets the confidence to stand up to Mr.______, and leave him. After leaving him she begins to sew, and from there creates her own company. This is a major accomplishment for Celie who never had anything in her life, and plus she created this thriving business on her own. Celie becomes her own person. She learns confidence, independence, and most importantly love. The love that she was never shown eventually comes when she is reunited with her sister and children. The Color Purple is a great read that teaches people that the hardships faced are not always going to last forever. There is will be a way out. The only thing is that you have to find the way out for yourself.

[David Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Color Purple written by Alice Walker genre happens to be novel and takes place during the Jim Crow era. The Color Purple shows how women during jim Crow time were treated like rags and door mates. Men were treated like kings in their houses because of their title given to them by the society. This story starts with two sisters whose names are Celie and Nettie, their father Mr.___ abused one of the kids whose name was Celie. Mr.__never liked Celie he treated her with alot of disrespect. In some literature some charaters go through a lot of adversity to stand on their feet without help. In the Color Purple Celie goes through alot of adversity with Mr.__ who she moved in with and to marry instead of Nettie her sister. Mr.__ beats Celie for a reason because she happen not to be Shug Avery. This adversity caused Celie to act more helpless with Mr.__, she could not fight back until Shug came to the house one day sick and Celie got to know Shug a little bit more. Who later became very good friends who were able to share stories with each other. Celie showed Shug Avery what she has been going through leaving with Albert, and shug's answer was for Celie to travel with her to move to Memphis with shug and her husband Grady. After leaving Albert's house Celie developed skills in making pants to also create joy for the people of Memphis and back home by making pants which later became a hit in Memphis. After Celie read Nettie's letter's after she moved to Africa with her kids Adam and Olivia and Celie gained hope to live on, after meeting Nettie Celie was shocked that her sister and kids came back to find their parents.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Color Purple, an epistolary written by Alice Walker which takes place in the early 1900’s during the Jim Crow laws in Georgia. Celie who is the narrator in The Color Purple copes with abuse both physically and emotionally and it also shapes her as a character. In the epistolary Celie and her sister Nettie are separated because Celie’s abusive husband Mr.______. Nettie is the sibling who has a mind of her own and is prettier than Celie. Nettie is the only character who really showed Celie that she cared for her and is the only person who loved Celie. Mr._______ takes advantage of Celie throughout the epistolary and treats her like she is not human he degrades her even though he is superior to her because she is a female and she is also poor and uneducated Mr._____ feels as if he can run over her. Throughout The Color Purple many characters come along and help Celie grow independent and help her find herself as an individual. I think this was one of the best books that I have read so far and I would recommend this book to many other readers. I think this book allows readers to understand what its like to be a black female in the 1900’s. I also think Celie was one of the strongest characters in this book and I enjoyed reading it.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The color purple is an interesting novel story about two sisters that live a hard life during their childhood. Ceile and Nettie are two sisters that live life separately because Nettie escaped, because she couldn’t handle being a slave she wanted to be free. Celie and Nettie stayed in touch by sending letters to each other, there was a point in the story that Albert kept those letter hidden for several reasons. Albert is a man that Nettie and Celie hate so much, but they have to stand him. Albert was very abusive man with Celie. If Celie does not do what Albert pleases he would hit her slap her …and sometimes hit her for no reason. Shrug is a character in the story that Albert was and still is in the story in love.
Celie try to make the best of her life with shrug in her side, not caring about what Albert thinks about. Albert try to separate Celie and Nettie from each other, because Nettie didn’t listen to Albert when he wanted to have her. So he told Nettie that she better stay away from Celie. Shrug helped Celie be closer to Nettie by helping Celie get the letter one night that Albert was not home. Celie really hated Albert from that day forward, not only because he try to separate Ceile and Nettie from each other but he made their life miserable.

[Yumi Learner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading " The color purple " in English without a dictionary a couple of days ago. The book was the best book for me to read this year in English. Actually, I bought it in America. When my American friend took me to some garage sales, I found it out there. When I picked up the book, the house owner said that the book was very nice. The book seemed to be new, but I bought it for only one dollar! I was so lucky!

Even if the book was best book, it wasn't easy for me to read in English. That's because they book was written with many grammar errors. The main character is an uneducated African American girl, Celie. So, the book author pretends her and wrote the book. However, it wasn't difficult to follow the story line.

After I read the book, I was looking forward to watching the movie with a Japanese dubbing. I wanted to make sure how much I could understand the contents. I watched it yesterday. Before I watched the movie, I couldn't understand why the color name, " purple " is used in the book. I think the color, " purple " is a kind of symbol of relationship between Celie and her dear little sister, Nettie.
Although the movie was also good, I prefer the novel to the movie because this story is too complicated, so it is difficult to describe everything in the movie.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Color Purple was intriguing to me because the time was back when whites and blacks didn't get along. If I can read a novel that is from generations ago and it sparks my interest then it's a good book. The novel is written in first person narrative style by a character name Celie. I am a religious person so I had pleasure in how she prayed to God everyday telling him everything that went on with her life. The story sequences every day of Celie's life until she is on her own. The reader follows Celie as she is forced to get married to a man name Albert. In the time that she is married she moves in with Albert which deprives her from her sister Nettie, the only person who loves her. I feel Celie's misery when she deals with Albert and his children, and I feel Celie's rhapsody when she gets to relive life with her sister Nettie again. Alongside the characters feel to the story, I took pleasure in Alice's style of writing. She writes slang just the way the people do in real life. Celie and Albert's actions were believable because they acted just like married couples do in the present. The plot was absolutely intriguing because it made the story compare more to the real life.

[Gabrielleb]

The Color Purple by Alice Walker was my favorite epistolary novel thus far. I always heard about the movie but never seen it. If the book is this good I wonder what the movie must be like. I would recommend this book to any high school student and older. This novel was about a girl named Celie who found love, a career, and happiness through all the adversity she faces. Celie gets raped by her step father n gets pregnant and has to kids by him. Then he sends her off to this guy named Albert who the Author refers to as Mr.______. Celie spends most of her time writing to God. Until one day Mr.______’s ex girlfriend Shug Avery comes to stay with them. Celie is suppose to be Mr._______’s wife but she is treated more like a kid or a slave. Shug finds out what Celie is going through an d makes Celie interpret the world differently. Celie stops writing to God n writes to everything she seems to appreciates. Like God, her younger sister Nettie who has always been there for her until she was forced to leave, trees, flowers, etc. Shug and Celie move away and Celie starts her own pants business, sowing and designing pants. She has changed her attitude so she could alter her future.

[Berrydoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didnt think I would like this book because of its association with Oprah in my mind. And at first I hated it because it starts off pretty miserable. But gradually I came to like it. I like it when Nettie goes to Africa and the men there are as sexist as the men in the US. I mean, it's a little exculpatory for American White Men, which is what I am. So that made me feel a little less defensive. And I also like it how Mr. _____ gradually comes to his senses. And Celie allowed her own view of him to change too! I liked that. I liked the Olinka tribe, and their religion. I thought that was interesting. And I like that the missionaries came to feel that they were jamming a message down the Olinka's throats. The Olinka's had a pretty funny and logical Creation Myth of their own, and I enjoyed reading about it. I also really enjoyed Celie's relationship with Shug Avery. Poor Celie. I'm glad Shug was so strong for her. Shug is interesting. She isnt bound by convention. She just loves whoever she loves, and I like that too. I also like the story of Sophia. It's pretty tragic! I'm glad it turned out ok. I like Sophia.

[Winifred]

I have heard alot about this book and it is a very intense book dealing with situations that I myself could never imagine myself in. This book was written in diary form and as as i have said in other book responses that the authors choice to write in diary form really enables the reader to connect to the character and almost feel and go through the emotions that the chracter is going through. One thing that i wasn't use to is the dialect(sp?) It was written in the same way the character spoke. Of course the author Alice Walker did this for a reason which was to show the level of education that the main character had and Walker made this clear in her writing. I like that this book deals with real situations/issues that people do go through. I am happy that itended with a positve ending in that Celie was able to stand up for herself but I kind of felt that it took her to long. She has been through alot in the book and i wish she had took a stand a little earlier. It makes me sad that people go through harsh things such as rape, and abuse. But it also makes me greatful I didn't have to go through some of these issues and much more appreciative of what I have.

[Tania Guerrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Color Purple was one of the few books I have enjoyed reading this year. The way Alice Walker structured the book can interest many readers. Her way of writing the book in sets of letters got me intrigued one letter lead to the next which got my attention. I would read a letter and want to read the next to see what would happen. The book overall connects to our essential question because the main character, Celie, attitudes and actions helped influence her future. Celie was a young black girl who was raped by the guy whom called himself her father. He got her pregnant twice and gave away her babies then gave her off to a man in marriage. Celie didn't do anything but obey orders and let others mistreat her. Until one day she decided she deserved better than what she had and left her husband, started her own business which made her a strong independent woman. Walker' s novel shows how the decisions that we make helps influence where we may end up at. Celie's choice to stand up for herself at the end got her freedom and hapiness. Our attitude and actions towards life will help determine which direction our life will go and where we will be at in our future.

[Javonee C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Color Purple was one of the most interesting and exciting books that I have read so far. Alice A. Walker has done a phenomenal job with the message and theme that she has put forth in her the writing of this wonderful novel. A truly inspiring story, Walker explains and annotates on the times of the South where blacks where separated in race and also in gender amongst own races. Walker portrays the negative assets of that kind of society through her protagonist, Celie, who lives most of her life through much fear, much terror, and very little hope. Forced to live in a society and with a husband who physically and verbally abusive her, Celie finds hope within her husbands mistress, Shug Avery, who teaches her that life is not about servicing others looking down upon yourself in order to please. Walker takes her readers through a journey of a young minded woman with unexercised common sense to a woman who holds her own, stands up for herself, and has much wisdom and hope for the future.

[Michella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Color Purple was a very eye opening book on how an abusive relationship can have a lifetime effect on you whether it may a good or bad thing it will have some type of effect on you and how you deal with certain situations. The Color Purple also showed me how sometimes you may feel as if your the one in control and will always have the last say but that doesn't mean it will always be that way. For instance Mr._____ he is characterized as being the abusive, cheating husband who takes advantage of his wife (Celie) but towards of the end of the novel when she finally gained the courage to leave all the control he once had left once she did. This novel taught me that not only the person who is being abused has been abused. For example Mr.___ was only that way mainly because thats what society put in his head also, that is what he seen his father do so he passed it onto his son. The Color Purple is an amazing novel. Therefore I would recommend anyone to read it because somehow it will change how you look at relationships or people you know in an abusive relationship.

[Emely Ralda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Color Purple written by Alice Walker is about a girl name Celie and how she had to go through a abusive relationship with her husband Albert known as Mr. and be sexually abuse by her step dad. She has a sister name Nettle who goes away along with Celie's two kids, Olivia and Adam because Mr. kicked them out. They go far away and Celie and Nettie do not see each other for a long time. Celie had to put up with Mr.'s harsh beatings and criticism. Celie came to love a lady name Shug Avery and was also loved by Mr. because of her looks, kindness, and independence. Shug helped Celie find herself as a women and helps her fight Mr.
All of a sudden all the bad things Celie went through back lashes on Mr. and Celie gets a big house that her dad left behind after his death and starts a business of only pants and this makes her grow as a person and makes her confidence go up. She becomes happy and has everything besides her sister Nettie and her children. Until one day she is reunited with Nettie and her two children after how many years.

[GARYAH · Rating 4 out of 5]

I AM FINALLY FINISHED WITH THE COLOR PURPLE IT WAS A EXCILLENT BOOK. BUT I FELT THAT CELIE WAS BEING MISTREATED TOO MUCH., SHE NEVER REALY HAD A SAY SO UNTIL THE END.I THINK THAT ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO TO IS YOUR FAMILY.AND CELIE COULDNT DO THAT AT ALL. THE ONE PERSON SHE HAD WAS HER SISTER NETTIE. NETTIE WAS YOUNGER THAN CELIE BUT SMARTER AND PRETTIER. AT AGE FOURTEEN CELIE HAD ALREDY HAD TWO KIDS. SHE WAS ALWAYS BEING RAPED BY HER FATHER. AT 14 SHE WAS SOLD TO MR._____. HER DAD THAT SHE WAS TOO OLD TO LIVE WITH HIM. HE SAID THAT SHE WAS OLD BECAUS ESHE ALREADY HAD HAD TWO CHILDREN.

CELIE WAS EVEN MORE MISTREATED BY MR.____ HE BEAT HER RAPED HER AND GAVE HER NO CLOSER. HE HAD ALREDY BEEN THREW SO MUCH AT THE AGE OF 15.THIS WAS A VERY GOOD BOOK. THE LANGUAGE WAS KIND OF CRAZY BUT IT MADE SENSE ALL THREW. I WISHED THAT IT WAS A SECOND PART TO THIS BOOK BUT IT ENED IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE

[Abbieflandro · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Color Purple was about two young African American girls who would be raped my there father. During this period of life the women were not treated fairly by the men. Men would rape girls and sale them. They would take their babies from them and beat the women. The men wouldn't do very much of the work. The women had to clean the house and the yard.
The book is harder to follow along with because it is just a lot of letters to God and to her sister. The movie is easier to understand, but the movie is a lot longer than the book. The book uses a different language in some parts as well. I think the movie is good. It drags out a lot of unnecessary stuff though.
I wouldn't recommend this to those younger than sixteen because I think it is a book for maturity and someone that can handle the things it talks about. It is harder to read as well. I would love to see the movie again, but I probably would not read it. I would make a change so that the whole book wasn't just letters.

[Tatiana M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice Walker wrote The Color Purple, which is an epistolary novel, to delineate an African-
American society during the early 1900's in the south. Celie, the antagonist, is abused and
disrespected by almost everyone because she does not know how to stand up for herself. Mr.
is Celie’s husband and he will not permit her to do anything but watch his children, cook, and clean
their dirty house. Nettie, Celie’s sister, comes to stay with Celie and Mr. for a brief time until
Mr. sees Nettie and Celie becoming to close. Nettie stays with a family and moves to Africa,
while Celie is enslaved in Mr. ‘s house. There are other characters like Shug Avery, Sophia, and Harpo who try to give advice to Celie with them doing so she eventually breaks free of the chains.

[Renae L.]

The Color Purple a epistolary novel written by Alice walker is a wonderful book because alice talks about a girl name celie whose father and husband abuses her, also she is seperated from her sister nettie but they keep in touch when they can by writing letters.also alice mentions the hardships that cele goes through and how she finds her way out of them.celie is a hard worker and does what she is told to do with no questions ask but se can not understand why Mr. does not like her or look at her the way he looks at his sister nettie. but she eventually does not pay attention to Mr. because celie talks to a lady name shug avery a good friend of Mr. who shows celie another meaning of love that she has not experienced before.

[Tawana V · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Color Purple is an amazing book about how Celie the protagonist becomes self empowered. Celie’s dad and husband abuse her most of her life. All of her life she has done what she is told. It is hard for Celie to break away from the power she allowed men to have over her. In this novel you see how Celie is transformed from a scared obsequious person to a strong intelligent woman. In this book you explore the ideas of how society view men as figure heads. I know many people have probably seen this movie but the movie takes out so much of the details. The book is really better than the movie. Through the book you can read more into the characters’ personality. Read the book you will enjoy it.

[Ryan O · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book, The Color Purple, it is about this girl named Ciele and her husband named Mr.___. Ciele married at a young age and her husband Mr.__, took advantage of her all of the time. There was not much that Ciele could do about it because of the man woman domination. Ciele started to get sick of the way that Mr.___ was treating her, the way that he would speak to her and the way that he would beat her. Ciele finally got up the confidence to stand up to Mr.___ and told him the way that she felt. After she told Mr.___ off, she lived a happy life. I would recommend this book to EVERYBODY, for the simple fact that it is just a really good book. It is just one of those books that you just really don't want to put down.

[Michelle W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be interesting because I was one out of many who has seen the movie first. As i read on I found many difference that many left a big disccusion over. The story is about a young girl name Celie who has been physically and mentally abused by her father. Her sister was the only really person she look to for love since she had to take care of her younger siblings. Also as a younger teenager she was asked for her hand in marriage by a man she calls Mr. that dose the same thing as her father did to her. As she get older people walk in and out of her life and finds a way to over come it. I think this book book should be read by 11th and 12th graders because they are more advanced in thinking and they can hold some bona fide conversations.

[Xing · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Color purple” talks about two sisters who remain loyal to one another across time, distance and silence. Their only connection is writing letter to one another. Even though they don’t know if the other one can get the letters, but they never stop writing the letters. No matter how far the distance is, their heart is connected. They love each other, they survive because of each other. Shug Avery is my favor character in this book. I admire the way she lived. Compare to the other women in this book, she was a good looking woman, but she acted like a man. She controlled her own life, she did whatever she wanted to do. Unlike the other women, they lived like slave, no freedom, no right and no choice.

[Joyce Godwin-Grubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my era, and my enviornment growing up in Oklahoma in the thirties and forties. I witnessed so much of this story first hand. It moves me more than any book I have ever read and the authenticity is brutally honest, and I found myself reliving so many things from my childhood.

The issues of segregation, brutality and hate mongering were so truthfully portrayed, I was transported into the activity. It would all be reinforced by the movie that followed with flawless representation and I found it again in the Broadway presentation with "Fantasia's" perfection in her role.

I believe any author who can write a book/novel so perfectly that it would not be "molested in translation" in either a movie or play, speaks highly of the novel.

It remains my all time favorite novel.

[Wishly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Color Purple is a book that can make anybody tell right from wrong. It is one of those books that one may not like at first but start to get into by the end. When I started this book I was thinking here is another book about women rights and how men treated women in the past but some still do. But then I letter find out it is a book about a girl who was not loved but soon finds it I a different place then where she thought she would. I later got really into the book and now I think its ok but its not the worse book I read. I think that other students years from now will love the book as Celie shows them how her life she would get beaten but that would just make her stronger in the end. The school should keep the this book but add more time to how long they have to read it.