Walker demystifies and champions the black female body through her theory and fiction. Possessing the Secret of Joy addresses the issue of female genital mutilation practiced in many African tribes. It traces the psychological aspect of a woman who has undergone this horrible and extremely unhealthy procedure. Tashi is a woman who under peer pressure decides to take revenge by killing the woman who performed this operation on her and many girls like her. In this novel Walker discusses the inhumane practice of stealing women's sexuality in the name of tradition. The serious psychological danger to which these women are exposed as a consequence of genital mutilation is at the heart of the novel. Walker does not believe in the separation of men and women, but believes that in matters of health there can be a difference, she writes: “Committed to the survival and wholeness of whole people, male and female. Not separatist, except periodically, for health" (SMG