
Robert (
JackL) wrote on 10/7/2009...
A classic in every sense of the word. Very insightful as to the inner thoughts of a black man as he struggles with his thoughts about race and equality. It is important that the reader looks beyond the written word for the "hidden meanings" within.

Emily U. (
EmilyU) wrote on 9/5/2009...
What an amazing book... it has stuck with me since reading it well over a year ago. If you critically think into the novel and consider all of the things going on and meanings you can truly see how great and classic Ellison's Invisible Man is. Very powerful.
1952 classic tracing racism and bigotry.

Charlene Y. (
CharleneY) wrote on 1/19/2007...
excellent classic
Though I found this book a bit repetitive, I also found it to be a thought provoking commentary on racial inequality. Overall a good read, if you can get past the prologue.
An amazing book and a very fast, but memorable read.
Enjoyed it to bits. :) It's not a classic for no good reason.
First published in 1952 and immeditately hailed as a masterpiece, "Invisible Man" is one of those rare novels that have changed the shape of American literature. For not only does Ralph Ellison's nightmare journey across the racial divide tell unparalleled truths about the nature of bigotry and its effects on the minds of both victims and perpetrators, it gives us an entirely new model of what a novel can be.
As he journeys from the Deep South to the streets and basements of Harlem, from a horrifying 'battle royal' where black men are reduced to flighting animals, to a Communist rally where they are elevated to the status of trophies, Ralph Ellison's nameless protagonist ushers reader into a parallel universe that throws our own into harsh and even hiularious relief. Suspenseful and sardonic, narrated in a voice that takes in the symphonic range of the American language, black and white, "Invisible Man" is one of the most audacious and dazzling novels of our century.