Meridian

In this poignant and powerful story, Meridian fights a lonely battle to reshape her own humanity in the American Civil Rights Movement.

Meridian is the second novel by Alice Walker, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award for *The Color Purple *. Written in 1976, the narrative reflects the author's own meditations and experiences on the paths and challenges of the civil rights movement in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s.

One possible meaning for the word "meridian" is "midday." Using this idea, Walker, with a direct yet sensitive style, constructs her character under intense sunlight, exposing issues of race, gender, and class through the protagonist's journey of political and spiritual maturation. The interweaving of mystical childhood memories with the discovery of sexuality and racism, romantic and fraternal love, fear and courage, is one of the elements that construct the story.

Meridian is a Black, poor woman born in the Southern United States, endowed with great intellectual and vital strength. Aware of the oppression that characterizes her community, she questions whether, in a violent world, it is necessary to respond with violence. The search for the right measure thus becomes an unavoidable part of the ethics of her political activism.

Meridian is a call for a middle path—not condescending, but loving, relentless, tender, and responsible—against racism and other prejudices that plague Black people's lives. Alice Walker masterfully depicts the twists and turns of violence and love, exposing the multifaceted nature of humanity. At a time when the face of existence turns to threat, Walker offers us her own strength and hope for a more fraternal and egalitarian future.

“A slim, taut novel […]. A lean book that flows like clear water […]. Extraordinary.” - The New York Times Book Review

“Beautifully presented and utterly convincing.” - The New Yorker