59 pages 1 hour read

Alice Walker

The Temple of My Familiar

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1989

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Essay Topics

1.

Comment on the book’s title, The Temple of My Familiar. What does it mean? How does it connect to one or more of the book’s central themes: The Feminine Experience, The Historical Trauma of Colonization, and/or Spirituality in the Diaspora?

2.

The narrative style in the book is disjointed and non-linear, with abrupt jumps in setting and perspective. What effect does this have on how the story reads? How does this narrative style reinforce some of the book’s messages?

3.

Walker is known for centering the experiences of Black women in her writing. How does this develop in The Temple of My Familiar? What are the roles of characters like Tanya and Mary Jane Briden?

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