Alice Malsenior Walker was born February 9, 1944, the youngest of eight children. Her parents were sharecroppers in Eatonville, Georgia. An outstanding student, Alice earned a scholarship to Spellman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and later another scholarship to Sarah Lawrence College in New York.

After her junior year at Sarah Lawrence College, Alice got a chance to go to Africa and Europe. It opened her eyes to another world. After returning to school Alice became pregnant. Afraid to face her parents, she was able to get a safe abortion with the help of friends. During this period, she was very depressed and wrote to console herself.

Walker graduated in 1965 and returned to Georgia to work with the Civil Rights movement. By 1973 she was an accomplished writer and became the editor at "Ms. Magazine." The Color Purple, her greatest project to date, won her the Pulitzer Prize.