Mention Regarding Books The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
Title | : | The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man |
Author | : | James Weldon Johnson |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | (American Century Series) |
Pages | : | Pages: 212 pages |
Published | : | March 1st 1991 by Farrar, Strauss & Giroux-3pl (first published 1912) |
Categories | : | Fiction. Classics. Cultural. African American. Historical. Historical Fiction. Race |
James Weldon Johnson
Paperback | Pages: 212 pages Rating: 3.91 | 8193 Users | 503 Reviews
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James Weldon Johnson's emotionally gripping novel is a landmark in black literary history and, more than eighty years after its original anonymous publication, a classic of American fiction.The first fictional memoir ever written by a black person, The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man influenced a generation of writers during the Harlem Renaissance and served as eloquent inspiration for Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, and Richard Wright. In the 1920s and since, it has also given white readers a startling new perspective on their own culture, revealing to many the double standard of racial identity imposed on black Americans.
Narrated by a mulatto man whose light skin allows him to "pass" for white, the novel describes a pilgrimage through America's color lines at the turn of the century--from a black college in Jacksonville to an elite New York nightclub, from the rural South to the white suburbs of the Northeast.
This is a powerful, unsentimental examination of race in America, a hymn to the anguish of forging an identity in a nation obsessed with color. And, as Arna Bontemps pointed out decades ago, "the problems of the artist [as presented here] seem as contemporary as if the book had been written this year."
Point Books To The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
Original Title: | The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man |
ISBN: | 0809000326 (ISBN13: 9780809000326) |
Edition Language: | English |
Rating Regarding Books The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
Ratings: 3.91 From 8193 Users | 503 ReviewsRate Regarding Books The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
OK, so maybe this isn't one of the great novels of the 20th century. The canon tells me that other books are, and because of that I'm starting to become less enamored of the canon and of those who insist on pushing it -- because such a focus on the limited offerings of elite taste makers and academics causes gems like this to fall by the wayside.I do pay attention to the canon and use it as a guide and as a benchmark standard that fits within a larger context. The canon can't be ignored, andhis is a really hard review for me to write there is just so much to say about the book and I have no idea where to start. And if I said all that I wanted to say, this review would end up a term paper instead of a simple review.Simply stated The Autobiography of An Ex-Colored is about a mulatto man that can pass as white. But the story is much deeper and more complex then just skin colored. Set in the early 1900's Weldon touch on a lot of issues dealing with racial prejudice and cultural
I recommend reading this fascinating novel. 'The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man' is not a real memoir or non-fiction. It is a fictionalized autobiography written in 1912. Despite that it is fiction, it has a strong feel of true authenticity. What is truly wondrous and sad about the book is how the questions, disputes and agonies over race in 1912 have little changed since this novel was written. The narrator's story is a coming-of-age one. He experiences unusual adventures because although
5/10The writing is gracious, refined, much like the protagonist, but I couldnt get my mind around whether I liked this character or not. Abandoned at page 87. Skimmed the rest. The only way that this novel could work for me was if it was written ironically. I cant be sure that it wasnt. The author led a fascinating life but Im not convinced of his standing as a fascinating writer. The only thing that rang true was the very last sentence, set here with its telling preamble. It is difficult for me
I loved the parts about his childhood, his mother, and his fascination with Shiny; his realizations about race--his races--are more powerful when he talks about how he understood (or didn't understand) them as a child.
There are times when I wish Goodreads would hand out a limited number of very special extra six star reads. Rarely does a book deserve more than "It was awesome!". And, here is that rare breed of book - the beyond five-star read.The awakening of this journey I am on, to discover new and old, the books that ask and contemplate the race question continues. Each new book is another layer, where I think it can't get any better.. and, then it does. I read another piece that touches me more than the
Very interesting book, it's such a shame that I probably would not have read this if it weren't for my book group. I haven't read any bi-racial accounts before this, I believe Johnson was born to a black mother and a white father. Because I had also been watching a series about being black in Britain, I found it interesting that a lot of the issues that were spoken about in this book seemed to pop up in the television series proving that very little may have changed throughout time and other
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