Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is the author's first novel. It was published in 1952 and is the only novel to be published in his lifetime. It is vastly acknowledged as a landmark in African-American literature and won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1953.

The story is told by an unnamed narrator, who remains invisible to the world that looks at him through racial and social spectacles. In his words, people “see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination”, which meant that he was not "seen" for who he truly was.

The Invisible Man is not however a "protest" novel. As the narrator says "I am not complaining, nor am I protesting either", which shows a clear breakage from the African-American tradition of "protest" novels. Rather, it is an experimental novel that tests a man's identity within a racially and socially prejudiced society.

Ralph Waldo Ellison (1914 - 1994) is an African-American author who won great prominence with his first novel - The Invisible Man. By winning the National Book Award for Fiction in 1953, he became the first African-American writer to win that award.

I will be reading this with the group. It has been in my TBR for a long time.

It's really good! I rated it five stars, and I'm not generous with stars.

Looking forward to delving into this classic 👍 That is an interesting backstory you’ve shared about it, Piyangie.

I have opted to read this one, so Malcolm X has to wait, this book has been on my radar for a long time.

I’m looking forward to reading this one!

Welcome, Nidhi, Jen, Pam and Lorraine!

Rosemarie wrote: "It's really good! I rated it five stars, and I'm not generous with stars."

Wow, Rosemarie. Now I'm intrigued. I wish I had time to read.

You will, just not now, Piyangie.

I finally got started on this one. Just a few chapters in and it's tough in that there were already two extraordinarily haunting and brutal incidents of violence already. I will definitely be trying to balance this with some feelgood reading to make this easier to bear. But the writing is powerful, very good.

Jen wrote: "I finally got started on this one. Just a few chapters in and it's tough in that there were already two extraordinarily haunting and brutal incidents of violence already. I will definitely be tryin..."

That's a good idea, Jen. I'm glad you like the writing.

Has anyone else begun reading?

I read this so long ago - maybe 25 years ago. I recall it being very powerful and I’m confident in saying that it is indeed very powerful but I’m absolutely sure that my 16-20 year old mind didn’t fully appreciate or understand why I felt that way.

I finished it two days ago. I am still thinking about this book and all the emotions I went through while reading it. I hope to get back to the group this week with a kind of review…

@ Lorraine, that'd be nice- I'd would love to hear more thoughts from you as someone still in the beginning.

@Chad, that's relatable. I have so many reads from high school days and even my 20s and 30s that I want to revisit for this same reason.

I'm in chapter 5 now and it's been feeling a bit over the top in its elaborate descriptions of a scene at the university chapel which honestly has been a bit tiring and I'm not sure it's actually helping me envision it.

I plan to start it in March. I still have a few other books I’m finishing. Looking forward to it!

I read this two years ago for Black History Month 2022 and gave it five stars. I found it thought provoking and felt that, as the reader, we experienced some of what the narrator's life was like. Certainly not for the faint of heart with a handful of disturbing scenes but a worthwhile read that has stayed with me.

BTW, for audiobookers, I've seen rave reviews for the narrator, actor Joe Morton, so I'd really like to try that out too and maybe do an audio/print combo. I'm on the waitlist for the audio...

I've gotten through chapter 9, one third through and wanted to report I'm really finding it so good now. Chapter 5 at the university chapel is making more sense now that I have a bigger picture. I do want to revisit it with the audiobook, and that should be a very exciting scene to hear acted out- the dramatic sermon. I may also revisit the strange and mysterious prologue and possibly the whammy of a chapter one as audio. But in general I love the writing and the journey, so I really like actually reading it in print.
Also, I'm enjoying Ellison's allusions to vision and in/visibility, i.e. blindfolds, a person turning out to be blind, etc.

Happy to hear that you are enjoying the book, Jen.

I am happy I finally read that book even though it wasn't an easy book to read. (view spoiler)[For me, the story shows how racism, being tricked, and wanting to fit in affect the main character. It talks about how people have to act a certain way and how hard it is to figure out who you really are, especially if you're not white. The main character struggles with different ideas pushed on him, like following stereotypes or thinking violence or being reasonable will help. But none of these roles feel right to him. He ends up feeling disconnected and like he's not being himself. The author, Ellison, does a great job using words and conversations to show how the main character feels. "Invisible Man" is an important book because it helps us understand race and how society sometimes ignores big problems. (hide spoiler)]

I am also happy I have read the book. Though the confusion and intensity of many passages could be a bit tiring for me, I found the story and style overall quite mesmerizing. I definitely wished to understand it better so I sought out podcasts that discuss it. The one I especially enjoyed and found the most interesting and helpful was with writer Percival Everett in conversation with a show host on the Windham-Campbell Prizes podcast. Perhaps also of interest to some group members here- in this show, Everett discusses parallels between Ellison's work and Chester Himes, namely his pre-detective-series novel If He Hollers Let Him Go.
Because of this book I've learned a bit more about literature in general- like the meaning of the term picaresque and ideas about surrealism in literature.

Jen wrote: "I am also happy I have read the book. Though the confusion and intensity of many passages could be a bit tiring for me, I found the story and style overall quite mesmerizing. I definitely wished to..."

Thanks Jen. I will certainly look into it.