The 'invisible man' is the unnamed narrator of Ralph Ellison's blistering, impassioned novel of black lives in 1940s America. Defeated and embittered by a country which treats him as non-being, he has retreated into an underground cell, where he smokes, drinks, listens to jazz and recounts his search for identity in white society: as an optimistic student in the Deep South, in the north with the black activist group the Brotherhood, and in the Harlem race riots. Powerfully told, angry and often violent, "Invisible Man" goes ...
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The 'invisible man' is the unnamed narrator of Ralph Ellison's blistering, impassioned novel of black lives in 1940s America. Defeated and embittered by a country which treats him as non-being, he has retreated into an underground cell, where he smokes, drinks, listens to jazz and recounts his search for identity in white society: as an optimistic student in the Deep South, in the north with the black activist group the Brotherhood, and in the Harlem race riots. Powerfully told, angry and often violent, "Invisible Man" goes beyond the compelling story of one man to evoke the lives of millions of African-Americans with an urgency that has potent relevance today.
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Add this copy of Invisible Man to cart. $5.75, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Gardners Books.
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Very good read, especially for someone other than a minority. A minority would understand but others would become more aware of the feeling of minorities while gaining some insight and depth into the psyche of others.
The Pageturner
Aug 17, 2009
Invisible Man Remains Transparent
Ellison's book is full of exquisite figurative language and even though my copy had 503 pages, I read it until the end. I was amazed at how he presented all types of personalities in his books, ranging from revolutionary Blacks such as Ras the Exhorter to communistic groups like the Brotherhood. It seems that each situation the Invisible Man is in is a dilemma to its most extreme. Still, at the end of the book, it seems he still hasn't learned his way. The overall lesson I think is "They don't like you, they'll never like you. Be with your people." This book is excellent to use for discussion and I can see why it is one of the most honored books in literature.
kafkesque
Mar 18, 2007
a study in alienation
Isolation, alienation, hate, fear, loneliness, America. All of these emotions and places swirl in a virtual maelstrom throughout the classic Invisible Man. This is a novel that no one should die not having read. I cannot think of a book that sums up the racial fears of a nation better than this. Ralph Ellison is a national treasure, a voice of a generation. His voice should never be forgotten and always turned to. His necessity has not dimmed with the passing years. New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina proved how much things have not changed since the time he wrote about life in Harlem.
