Alice Walker books in order
American author and activist
- Born
- 1944
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 38
Alice Walker has published 18 novels, 1 novella, 2 short story collections, 6 non-fiction books, 2 children's books, 8 poetry collections and 1 other book, beginning with Meridian (1976). The best-known is The Color Purple (1982). The latest is Gathering Blossoms Under Fire (2022).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Alice Walker
Start here
The Color Purple
Alice Walker's most-read book, rated by 90 Open Library readers.
Newest
Gathering Blossoms Under Fire
Published 2022.
Standalone novels in order
The Third Life of Grange Copeland (1970)
Meridian (May 1976)
The Color Purple (1982)
In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens (1983)
Living by the Word (1988)
The Temple of My Familiar (1989)
Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992)
Warrior Marks (1993)
Everyday Use (1994)
By The Light of My Father's Smile (1998)
The Way Forward Is with a Broken Heart (2000)
Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth (2002)
A Poem Traveled Down My Arm (2003)
Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart (2004)
Why War Is Never a Good Idea (2007)
Midnight On The Mavi Marmara (2010), with Noam Chomsky
The Chicken Chronicles (2011)
Mommy Says I Have Butterflies (2021)
Novellas in order
Sent by Earth (2001)
Short story collections in order
In Love & Trouble (1973)
You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down (1981)
Non-fiction in order
The Same River Twice (1996)
Anything We Love Can Be Saved (1997)
Overcoming Speechlessness (2010)
The Cushion in the Road (2013)
All We Can Save (Sep 2020), with Naomi Klein and Marge Piercy
Gathering Blossoms Under Fire (2022)
Children's books in order
To Hell with Dying (1988)
Langston Hughes, American Poet (2001)
Poetry in order
Once (1968)
Revolutionary Petunias & Other Poems (1973)
Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful (1984)
Her Blue Body Everything We Know (1991)
We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting for (2006)
Hard Times Require Furious Dancing (2010)
The World Will Follow Joy (2013)
Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart (2018)
Other books in order
In Love and Trouble (2011)
Film and TV adaptations
- The Color Purple (1985)Film · from The Color Purple
- The Color Purple (2023)Film · from The Color Purple
About Alice Walker
Alice Malsenior Tallulah-Kate Walker is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist. In 1982, she became the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which she was awarded for her novel The Color Purple. Over the span of her career, Walker has published seventeen novels and short story collections, twelve non-fiction works, and collections of essays and poetry.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Alice Walker FAQ
- How many books has Alice Walker written?
- Alice Walker has published 18 novels, 1 novella, 2 short story collections, 6 non-fiction books, 2 children's books, 8 poetry collections and 1 other book that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Alice Walker's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The Color Purple.
- What is Alice Walker's latest book?
- Gathering Blossoms Under Fire (2022).
- What is Alice Walker's most famous book?
- The Color Purple (1982) is Alice Walker's most widely read book.
- Which Alice Walker books have been adapted?
- 1 book has been adapted for film or TV, including The Color Purple (film, 1985).
Authors like Alice Walker
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.