Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - Native Son

Native Son
Native Son
Author: Richard Wright
Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic. Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright's powerful n...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780061148507
ISBN-10: 0061148504
Publication Date: 5/1/2008
Pages: 544
Rating:
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 4

3.4 stars, based on 4 ratings
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Native Son on
Helpful Score: 4
I put off reading this book for quite some time due to its length. But what I found was not just a story that chronicles a young black man's experience in an urban environment, but a compelling story about choices, racism and fear. I felt that this book was not only compelling, but a snapshot into life after Jim Crow, but before the civil rights movement. The "Bigger Thomas" character invented by Wright was not just a means of relaying a fascinating story about crime in Chicago, but Bigger indeed stands for bigger things: America's mixed attitudes about race and intention.
reviewed Native Son on + 12 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I'm amazed at how relevant this book still is considering it was written in 1940. A true American classic.
reviewed Native Son on + 27 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A must read for anyone interested in the black experience in America during a particular period in our history.
suzyshadow avatar reviewed Native Son on + 125 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Classic everyone should read.
Read All 10 Book Reviews of "Native Son"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

onlyonenita avatar reviewed Native Son on + 14 more book reviews
Thought provoking.
reviewed Native Son on
it makes me feel steadily less optimistic about the world
Readnmachine avatar reviewed Native Son on + 1439 more book reviews
Dark and violent tale of a young black man who murders in a moment of drunken panic and who spirals into ever-escalating violence as he attempts to cover up the act and escape from the bleakness of his life.
reviewed Native Son on + 77 more book reviews
In the vein of Crime and Punishment, this is it's American Counterpart set in Chicago, dealing with rape, murder and racism. One of the great American classics of all time.


Genres: