This book presents selected writings representing a variety of perspectives on women's social issues that are highlighted in Alice Walker's "The Color Purple."

Explores a work of literature about social and psychological disorder in the works of Edgar Allan Poe through the lens of the major social issue reflected in it, and features carefully selected content representing a variety of perspectives.

Discussions include how the protagonist's female gender affects reaction to the book's coming-of-age message, how themes of oppression and marginalization play out among the characters, and what Esperanza's personality says about her relationships to males in the novel. --from publisher description