Invisible Man

If society ever began to get rid of books Fahrenheit 451 style, I wouldn't complain about this one getting tossed.

It is a shame I did not read this earlier. A truly amazing book. A serious candidate for best book ever written by an American or about America. The story, the perspective, the imagery, the sadness and alienation -- all truly remarkable. Should be required reading for all citizens of the country.

Amazing book! It too me a while to finish but was worth the peserverance. It's a cross between 1984 and Native son. However the disillusionment and isolation expressed by our nameless protagonist in this poignant work of fiction was all too real during the civil rights era, which this book is set. For a Afro-American writer, his style is extremely English ( atleast to me!)...more

Amazing book! It too me a while to finish but was worth the peserverance. It's a cross between 1984 and Native son. However the disillusionment and isolation expressed by our nameless protagonist in this poignant work of fiction was all too real during the civil rights era, which this book is set. For a Afro-American writer, his style is extremely English ( atleast to me!) but the story very much american and damingly insightful. Highly recommend reading this book-Ralph Ellison is truely one of the great 20th century writers.   hide

Truly a literary masterpiece. Amazing and disturbing at the same time.

A classic. I recommend reading this at the same time as something current by an African American author. I was reading Sag Harbor at the same time. It is interesting to see the evolution, and stagnation, in the movement towards more equality for Black Americans. I was also struck by Ellison's more recently written prologue in light of Obama's election. Definitely made me proud of how...more

A classic. I recommend reading this at the same time as something current by an African American author. I was reading Sag Harbor at the same time. It is interesting to see the evolution, and stagnation, in the movement towards more equality for Black Americans. I was also struck by Ellison's more recently written prologue in light of Obama's election. Definitely made me proud of how far we have come, but aware of how much further we need to go.   hide

Loved this book!

The narrator is a young black man raised in the south who wants to bring about social change. He ends up in NYC working for a political organization as a spokesman. Eventually he learns that he is being used as an object, not an intelligent human. Every time he thinks he’s heading in the right direction he finds that he was only a puppet in someone else’s show with no true identity of his...more

The narrator is a young black man raised in the south who wants to bring about social change. He ends up in NYC working for a political organization as a spokesman. Eventually he learns that he is being used as an object, not an intelligent human. Every time he thinks he’s heading in the right direction he finds that he was only a puppet in someone else’s show with no true identity of his own. “Invisible Man” is rich with symbolism and metaphor. It’s a disturbing book, but I’m glad I read it, and I feel like I could read it several times over, getting something new from it each time.   hide

Finally finished it, after at least 3 attempts. I finally figured out why I put it down the first few times ... the opening chapters are so fantastic that it starts to seem boring by comparison after the book settles down into a somewhat more normal rhythm. But I am glad I kept at it; surely worthwhile.

There's probably not a lot I can add in terms of a review. But this book really gets to the heart of what writing is about, for me. It's confronting, heartbreaking, confusing and difficult. It is both a book of its times and timeless. Just a brilliant piece of writing.